


The Feeling of Being Alive (Day by Day)

by gums_guns_glocks



Series: Day by Day [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Author attempts humour, Background SukeSuki, Because taking things seriously just can't happen, CAPTAIN SQUAD, Canon Compliant, Crack Rarepair if you squint, Established Relationship, Flashbacks, Fluff, Found Family, Future Fic, Gen, Injury, M/M, Manga spoilers if you really really look for them, Original Background Character(s) - Freeform, Other, Parties, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, University, Volleyball, injuries, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:34:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24448156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gums_guns_glocks/pseuds/gums_guns_glocks
Summary: This is breathing,And seeing it goAnd this is the feeling of being alive(Time Alive, KC Katalbas)Oikawa Tooru had everything planned out. Each detail laid out, down to the month, the day, the minute, the second. But things rarely go as intended and life isn’t always milk bread and volleyball. Sometimes it’s four roommates in a too small apartement, being ghosted by your best friend, and maybe even falling in love.(Lightly inspired by the song Time Alive by KC Katalbas and the animatic by SincerelyMaxx)
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Series: Day by Day [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765753
Comments: 15
Kudos: 85





	1. Year 1-April

**Author's Note:**

> This is our first serious fic. Probably won't last but I hope you all stick along for the ride!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is our first serious fic. Probably won't last but I hope you all stick along for the ride!

The first day of Oikawa’s university career starts in utter silence. It was like a calm before the storm, like the world is holding its breath. He woke up moments before his alarm allowing him to lay on his bed a few seconds more. Sunlight rested on Oikawa’s eyes and he moved his arm to act as a shield against the resilient rays. He took a breath before letting his arm fall down to rest in his chest. His eyes roam the small room, landing on the calendar directly across from his bed. He stares at the tiny boxes, eyes unfocused. The first day is always the hardest is what his mother tells him. No matter what it was, first day of school, first day away from home, first day without your other half. It was always going to be hard. Oikawa shook his head sharply, his hair falling across his face. No time for melancholy thoughts like that when he had the whole world at his fingertips! He pawed at his bedside table before finding his glasses and sticking them onto his face. Blinking away the blurriness of the world he gets up from his bed, back arching as he stretches out with a yawn. His knee quivers at the movement. He takes a long few moments to completely stretch, a routine he’s developed easily after years of early morning volleyball practices. He ruffles the side of his hair as he grabs a bag of toiletries and heads to the communal bathroom of his dorm floor. He knows from experience how long it takes to tame his hair and would rather get a jump start on it. He’s still blinking away sleep as he opens the door of his room and heads out into the hall. In fact he’s so wrapped up in fuzzy buzz in his head he nearly runs straight into someone exiting the bathroom.

" Sorry " he mumbles softly, flicking his hair out of his eyes. He hadn’t expected anyone else to be up so early. He lifts his eyes and realizes with a slight shock he recognizes the face staring back at him.

" Sawamura? " he exclaims in surprise. Sawamura Daichi is blinking at Oikawa in sharp confusion, baggy sweatpants and a shirt clinging loosely to his body. His mouth opens slowly before he closes it again.

" Oikawa? You came here? " He finally exclaims, eyes roaming over Oikawa’s slouching form. " I would have assumed you would have gone to Chuo or Tsukuba! " Oikawa frowns at that. Yes it’s true that both of the universities Sawamura mentioned are well known for their prestigious volleyball programs but it’s not like they’re the only ones out there. He had gotten many offers and had made his decision carefully. Of course in the end one of his major factors had ended up falling through but Oikawa liked to focus on the positives. It’s not like this school isn’t well known in the volleyball world either. On the contrary. He rolls his eyes and offers Sawamura one of his signature lopsided smiles.

" What can I say, once you get a feeling about a place it just sticks. " He rolls back on his heels, hoping he still looks calm and suave in his silk pyjamas. " What about you Sawamura? I would have expected you to stay in Miyagi. " Sawamura just shrugs and smiles at that and Oikawa feels like there is a story there. However it’s much too early and he can’t find any reason to press so he simply continued grinning widely at Sawamura, hoping he’d get the hint and move out of the way. He has nothing against the former captain of Karasuno but he really needs to pee and his hair isn’t going to fix itself. Thankfully Sawamura seems to get the hint as he clears his throat and adjusts the small bag in his hands.

“Well it was nice chatting with you Oikawa. See you around okay?” Sawamura slips past him and just like that Oikawa’s first interaction at university is over. He decided to ignore that he can’t escape his past, even so far away from his hometown. He steps into the bathroom, setting his toiletries onto the grimy sink counter. He steadies himself with a breath and stares at himself in the mirror. Time to take over this university. The thought makes him smile at his reflection in the mirror. It was something Iwa-chan would say. Oikawa let’s go of the counter and gets to work on his hair. If he’s going to be here might as well make a good first impression.

~ ~ ~

Classes are boring. Dreadfully, snore in the middle of a lecture, boring. He didn’t have anyone to flick pencil shavings at, and not one single person to mock his horrendous astronomy teacher with. The lecture hall is an endless sea of faces, each nameless individual too wrapped up in their own lives to fully appreciate Oikawa’s presence. Although he supposes he can’t really judge them in that regard, Oikawa has done little but mope since he settled into his dorm yesterday. Of course the opinion of his classmates doesn’t matter much. Oikawa’s not here for a repetition of his highschool popularity, he’s here for volleyball. He stares at the gym doors in front of him, the two inches all that separates him and his dreams. He stands motionless, taking it in for a moment. That quickly becomes boring though. He pulls out his and takes a quick selfie, posing with a bright grin and peace sign. He sends it to Iwa-chan with the caption,

_‘you better be prepared Iwa-chan! ( >‿◠)✌’_

His thumb hovers over the send button for a moment. Iwa still hadn’t responded to his text from this morning and yesterday. Oikawa shrugs it off as him being too dull and busy to check his phone and sends the text. Iwa will get back to him soon. He can never stay away for too long. Oikawa casts one last long look around before steeling himself and pushing through the gym doors, his bag banging against the metal as he passes through them. His ears are suddenly filled with the sounds of volleyballs slamming against the floor and the shouts of their spikers. It sounds like home he thinks as he breathes deeply, inhaling the familiar scent of sweat and leather. Oikawa starts coughing aggressively. Luxuriating in the smell of young boys’ body odor might not have been his best idea.

He subconsciously turns to his side, waiting for the familiar laughter, before stopping. There was no one beside him who would react. He wilts slightly. Shaking to get that depressing thought out of his head, Oikawa stiffened his posture and walked fully into the gym. It seemed to be filled mostly with the university team, with a small group of first years like him off to the side. All of which look very familiar. Before Oikawa could start any sort of mental preparation, Sawamura catches his eye and waves.

“ Oikawa! Over here!” He calls. Oikawa grits his teeth and waves back, grin fixed in place. The group turns to look at him, spurred on by Sawamura’s outburst. Of the four of them only one of their names comes to mind. Bokuto Koutarou, formerly of Fukurodani Academy, one of the top five highschool aces in the country. And here he is, in front of Oikawa in all his frosted tipped glory. Although Seijo had never made it far enough to play against Fukurodani, Iwa-chan had constantly passed his knowledge of the top spikers on to Oikawa. He finds himself wishing he paid more attention as he stops in front of the group, smiling at all of them.

“Sawamura!” he greets as warmly as can, nodding at the rest of the small group. Bokuto waves excitedly at him before returning to being absorbed in his phone, typing away something new every few seconds. There’s a taller boy beside him who appraises Oikawa who’s name escapes Oikawa, a very feline smirk spread across his face. His hair is a national tragedy Oikawa notes, making a mental reminder to relay this information to Iwa-chan later. There are two other boys standing beside them, quietly conversing with each other. They barely acknowledge Oikawa. Oikawa makes sure not to even look their way. The shorter of them is clearly a libero so he has no reason for acting so high and mighty. No one in the small group looks like setters and Oikawa feels himself relax slightly. That’s less competition he’ll have to fight his way through.

" Daichi’s fine. " Sawamura replies, breaking through Oikawa’s thoughts. " I’m assuming you know everyone here? " Oikawa wants to pull his hair out but he just shakes his head robotically.

" I don’t remember seeing any of you in Miyagi and Seijo didn’t travel very often. " Daichi pales guiltily at that, blinking. Luckily, bed head saves him, sticking out a casual hand.

" Kuroo Tetsurou. " he says amicably. Oikawa has a vague recollection of hearing the name before. " You’re Oikawa Tooru right? I watched a couple of Aoba Johsai’s games last year. " Oikawa stares at Kuroo’s outstretched hand before placing his own on his hips and squinting.

" What position do you play? " he asks. Kuroo lowers his hand slowly, his smirk only widening much to Oikawa’s annoyance.

" Middle Blocker. " Kuroo supplies easily. He gestures at the last three boys. " Those are Bokuto Koutarou, Yaku Morisuke, and Washio Tatsuki. Yakkun went to Nekoma with me and Bokuto and Washio went to Fukurodani. Wing spiker, libero and middle blocker respectively. " He adds cheekily. Oikawa would give just about anything to wipe that stupid, lazy smirk off of Kuroo’s face. But he says nothing, just nodding thoughtfully. Kuroo’s words were helpful after all, as frustrating as they were. Just as Oikawa suspected none of them were going for the position of setter. Washio and Yaku look up at the mentions of their names, before turning away from Kuroo again. Oikawa thinks he spots Yaku frowning at the nickname Kuroo gives him and he files that information away for later use. Bokuto does nothing, continuing instead to punch holes in his phone, his obnoxiously large eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Oikawa almost feels bad for the person on the other end. Kuroo follows Oikawa’s gaze and laughs at the sight of Bokuto. He shoves the spiker teasingly.

" You’re going to break your phone idiot. " he says. Bokuto doesn’t look up but his brows furrow.

" I am not! I’m being careful! " Kuroo laughs. It’s a grating sound that was an awful mixture of a hyena and a dying bird. The two continue their bickering, Bokuto insisting that he’s gentle as a lamb with his phone and Kuroo unrelenting with his jabs. Oikawa hopes that they’re both this annoying on the court, for the other team at least. How those two idiots went to nationals is a mystery.

“ I didn’t think you were the violent type Bokkun. How sorry should I feel for the person he’s texting? Is a gift basket necessary?” Oikawa couldn’t help but lament. Was he being petty? Sure. But the one good thing about being so far from Iwa-chan is that there’s no one to stop him. Bokuto’s head snapped towards Oikawa, pout forming on his lips. If either boy is offended by the nicknames they don’t show it.

“ You shouldn’t be sorry at all! They enjoy my texts a lot!” Bokuto defended. Washio looked up from his conversation and sighed. Walking over towards Bokuto he placed his hands on his shoulder. His voice is calm and lacking in any specific emotion.

“ Oikawa meant that they might be able to feel your excitement through the phone.”

“ Really? Then everytime I text him I’ll make sure he knows how great he is!” Bokuto perks up immediately. Oikawa was impressed. Being able to bounce back quickly was a skill he couldn’t help but admire. It was probably both an asset and a setback on the court.

“ Oh no Bokuto. Your phone would not be able to handle your awesome muscles. It might break and then how would you text?” Washio managed to deliver this rousing speech in a near deadpan. Oikawa hears Yaku snicker. As inspiring as the little monologue was, there was no way Bokuto would fall for-

“ I’m too strong for everything! A flimsy little phone could never contain me!”, Bokuto preens, flexing an admittedly very toned bicep. Oikawa whistled appreciatively. It was no Iwa-chan, but still pretty hot. Washio kept heaping praise on Bokuto while Oikawa watched. So this was a national ace. Iwa-chan would hate him. Oikawa is so far undecided.

“Damn,” Kuroo says to Oikawa, “ I was hoping to keep that going for a while longer.”

“ Oh you’re so mean Rooster-chan! Why would you want to make Bokkun so mad?”, Oikawa whined.

“ I have no idea what you mean Oikawa” Kuroo’s smile was dangerously sharp. Oikawa is surprised to find his mouth curving into a smile in return. Maybe he would get along with the rooster head after all.

“ Why do I have the feeling I’m going to regret going here,” Daichi mutters to himself, looking at the former captains surrounding him. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, Kuroo is not so easily deterred from his goal. He continues prodding Bokuto, jokingly bringing up the recipient of the texts. Oikawa is impressed with how easily Kuroo can rile up Bokuto. Within minutes the former ace is back to his annoyed state, shouting loudly at the rooster head.

Daichi gives everyone around them an apologetic look, trying to quell the spat. The two boys somehow have started a scuffle, Kuroo reaching for Bokuto’s phone as the other holds it high out of reach, trying to continue typing with one hand while fending off Kuroo. Daichi tries to break up the two of them, his voice a near yell as he pushes his way between them. Wow, Oikawa thinks, Iwa-chan would have an aneurysm. Compared to them Oikawa looks like a saint. The rest of the volleyball has started looking at them and Washio and Yaku have stopped their conversation once more to take what Oikawa could only assume to be a multitude of photos and videos. He watches the chaos as the troubling realization that this is the next four years of his life settles over him.

~ ~ ~

The next couple days fall into a surprising rhythm for Oikawa. His classes start off just as boring as he expected them to be, and he and the other university first years spend their volleyball practices doing drills. And yet Oikawa finds a small pattern forming in his movements, leading him through life at university. Iwaizumi replies to his photo with a _‘Crappykawa 🙄’_ , completely ignoring the rest of Oikawa’s texts. Oikawa tries not to take it personally. He does, secretly, but he tried so he takes it as a win anyway. They had talked on the phone for a little while about school and settling in before Iwaizumi had to leave. Oikawa also tries to not take that personally.

Oikawa is also surprised at how easy it is to fall in with the other former captains. He doesn’t share many classes with them and was surprised to find out Bokuto was in his astronomy class. Which was weird for a number of reasons, one being that he didn’t peg Bokuto as a science guy, or a traditional education guy for that matter, and the other being how in the hell did Oikawa miss that hair on the first day? He had walked into class the day after the gym incident and had immediately been greeted by the overexcited owl of a boy. They’d started sitting together and Oikawa’s previous suspicions were confirmed almost immediately. Bokuto was not good at school. It wasn’t for lack of trying either, quite the contrary the boy was always enraptured in the teachers lecture, and yet when it came to the homework he would scratch his head and mumble confused sounds out of the corner of his mouth. Oikawa found it rather funny.

It was through this shared class with Bokuto that Oikawa finds himself seated with the other former highschool captains during their, somehow, shared few hours between classes. Bokuto had invited him after their class and Oikawa couldn’t find a valid reason to say no. It was treated like a lunchtime of sorts, which Oikawa couldn’t help find endearing, even if it was clearly a scheme for “team bonding” orchestrated by Daichi. It almost felt like he was still in highschool. They are sitting on the lawn in front of their dorm building right now, and Oikawa munches on his milk bread as the others conversed. Apparently the two other first years, Yaku and Washio, had been invited but they had politely declined. He wished he’d known that was an option.

Oikawa is pulled from his thoughts by a loud sigh from Kuroo. Oikawa rolls his eyes at the boy who’s lying across the grass staring at Bokuto who is once again excitedly tapping away at his phone. With no Washio here Oikawa has a feeling the fun won’t be spoiled so easily this time. Kuroo sits up and sighs again, this time aimed specifically at Bokuto. Daichi raises a concerned eyebrow.

“Bro seriously-you have a problem.” Kuroo starts, startling Bokuto out of his text induced trance. The other boy tilts his head in confusion.

“What are you talking about? I’m not doing anything, I’m just texting Akaashi.” Ah Oikawa finally had an answer to who the receiver of Bokuto’s avalanche of texts was. Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto’s former setter. Oikawa remembers him vaguely from watching old Fukurodani matches. Oikawa remembers him being nothing special. He was good, obviously as he had been a regular on the Fukurodani team, and he must have had the patience of a saint but Oikawa couldn’t remember anything uniquely special about him. Nothing like Oikawa and definitely nothing like stupid Tobio-chan. He stretches his long legs out in front of him, relieving a bit of pressure from his right leg like Iwa-chan was always forcibly advising him too. See? He thinks smugly, I can take care of myself Iwa-chan! Kuroo has flopped back onto his back in mock frustration.

“That’s the problem. You’re not even giving him time to respond.” Kuroo replies.

“Rooster-chan has a point, Bokkun.” Oikawa concedes. Kuroo looks at him with a single raised eyebrow, expression somewhere between amused and offended. “I doubt your friend enjoys being lectured”

“Akaashi only responds at 7am and 8pm. I need to give him as much material as possible to choose from!” Bokuto exclaims, perking up. Oikawa wished he had that sort of confidence. Iwa-chan hadn't replied to his text from two hours ago and he was near ready to pull out his hair. Waiting for specific times just seemed extra cruel. Oikawa took a moment to decide how petty it was to dislike a guy he’s never met based on his texting habits. He was feeling sorry for Bokuto. Oh god he was feeling sorry for Bokuto Koutarou. University was making him soft.

“Really?” Kuroo whistles. “Akaashi always replies to me within twenty minutes. Given it’s usually a strongly worded insult but I think that’s how he expresses his love.” Bokuto’s expression turns panicked.

“WhAaaAt?! But Akaashi never insults me! Well not really at least...does this mean Akaashi doesn’t love me?” Oikawa swears he sees the ends of Bokuto’s hair droop along with his expression. “My best friend doesn’t love me!”

“I thought I was your best friend?” Kuroo interjects, raising a single finger. Bokuto laughs heartily.

“What made you think that? Idiot cat-kun!” Kuroo sneers at him and without warning launches himself at Bokuto, causing them both to go tumbling across the lawn, Kuroo’s laugh echoing across the campus along with Bokuto’s outraged cries. Daichi, who had been quietly texting Sugawara and munching on his lunch, puts his phone away and calls out to Kuroo and Bokuto.

“You two are acting like little children! Hinata is more mature than you. How did you ever make captain?” Kuroo grins at Daichi from underneath Bokuto’s chokehold.

“You’re just jealous you got the short end of the roommate bargain. You have to miss out on all of this” Daichi frowns and opens his mouth once before closing it. Finally he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Ushijima is a fine roommate.” Oikawa nearly chokes on the sip of water he had just taken. Bokuto untangles himself from Kuroo and pats his back with enthusiasm. The air gets knocked out of Oikawa’s lungs in the process. Those muscles weren’t just for show after all. Bokuto had a mean swing on him. “Besides, today was his first day. Not nearly enough time to make quick judgments Kuroo.” Daichi looks at Oikawa, concerned. “Are you okay Oikawa?”

“Yes of course—don’t worry about me Daichi” he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “So that bastard Ushiwaka is here too?” He muses, calming down after his initial shock. “How interesting.”

“Is it? Interesting I mean.” Kuroo asks, extracting himself carefully from Bokuto. All three of the other boys are staring at him in confusion. “I mean this school is pretty well known for its volleyball club. It’s no Chuo but it’s still up there.”

“Hmmm.” Oikawa replies, feigning disinterest. He shakes himself, clapping his hands and smiling bright. “Well no matter! He won’t get a starter position and so I’ll never have to play with him!” Kuroo snorts. Oikawa is slowly learning to hate the sound.

“And you think you will? You’re still a first year too Oikawa.” Oikawa glares at him. Bokuto is learning introspective if such an emotion is possible on the large outside.

“I want to make starter!” Bokuto exclaims. “Akaashi says I have the skills to.”

“Oh yeah? Was that at 6am or 7pm huh?”

“Shut up Kuroo!”

“Both of you! Stop making so much noise, we’re in public!”

Oikawa closes his eyes. Suddenly his university path doesn’t seem so clear cut.

~ ~ ~

Practices become a quiet kind of hell specialized for Oikawa. Ushijima is indeed at their school and he seems just as surprised to see Oikawa as Oikawa was to see him. What a prick. He had come up to Oikawa while they’d been putting away the balls and stared at him for a moment.

“I am glad we are finally playing on the same team. You will finally be able to win a match now.” He had finally said before stalking off. Oikawa had clutched at the volleyball in his hand and suddenly understood why Iwa-chan had such a love for whipping them at people.

~ ~ ~

The month drags on. He eats with the former captains, and finds himself becoming endeared to them and their quirks. He ignores Ushijima as best he can and texts Iwa-chan frequently, getting sparing responses back. This does not affect him at all. He doesn’t go to many parties, studies the bare minimum possible, teases Bokuto and Kuroo. Finds common ground with Daichi. The month drags on but for a second or two it feels like he’s making progress. Finding his footing in turbulent waters. He’s got this.

At first he thinks he really does have a chance to be the starting setter, he even starts putting in extra hours of practice before the coach pulls him to the side, a week before the end of April and the finalized starting lineup is released. He’s nothing. He’s not a starter, not even the main backup setter. Apparently he needs to ‘prove himself’ he texts to Iwa-chan later the same night. Coach did say he had potential to be a pinch server if he worked hard. _Hah, he has no idea what I’m capable of!_ He sends the text and flops back on his bed, bones aching. Ignores the fact that Iwaizumi’s last text was from early yesterday morning. He spent the last two hours practicing his sets, his serves, everything. He needs to get on the court. This is his dream, his biggest goal. He cannot fall behind. Tears prick his eyes and shuts them hard, forcing his body to get a few hours of sleep before dawn. He will win. He can not afford to lose.

~ ~ ~

Ushijima and Bokuto both make starting positions. Oikawa goes to his dorm and punches a wall. He waits as a call to Iwaizumi goes straight to voicemail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We appreciate all comments and interactions! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)
> 
> Updated weekly for first three chapters, monthly updates afterward.


	2. Year 1-May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes in either this or the previous chapter! We aren't the best with editing

He tries to grow. He practices hard, does everything he can to impress the coach, even starts trying a little harder in his classes. Goes early to practice and stays late to work on his sets and serves. There’s hardly a moment where there’s not either a book or a ball in his hands. He gives extra notes to Bokuto, continues eating with the trio, and ignores Ushijima as best he can. The former ace of Shiratorizawa is still a beast on the court, much to Oikawa’s chagrin. His texts to Iwa-chan have devolved into rants and insults towards ‘that loser Ushikawa, who definitely uses 5-in-one shampoo.’ Iwaizumi's responses alternate between amused and annoyed. When he does respond that is. Their ‘conversations’ feel more and more like diary entries with each passing day. Oikawa is perfectly fine with that. He has to focus on creating the perfect image of himself in the coaches eyes. But it’s still not enough. Since when has being someone else been this hard? University really has made him soft. 

Because here he is, standing off on the sidelines with Kuroo, Daichi, Yaku and Washio as the teams set up for their first practice match of the season. They aren’t even second choice. He angrily slurps form his water bottle. He has time, he reasons to himself. They’re just over a month into the season, he can still prove that he is exactly what the team needs. He stares daggers into Ushijima’s back, feeling Daichi’s confused and concerned gaze on him. Breathe, Oikawa reminds himself. You got benched before because you couldn’t keep your cool. Oikawa rips his gaze off Ushijima and starts staring at the starting setter. It was some second year bastard with a dopey look in his eyes and an unfortunate tattoo peaking out of his collar. It was a candid of some girl from a popular manga. The overall impression he gave was one of future regret. Oikawa bet he peaked in junior high. He probably thought he was cool because he had smoked weed one time in the back of his friend’s mom’s beat up van. He probably spent his lunch hours playing magic the gathering and drawing comic books he never finished. Oikawa focused on keeping the obvious disdain he held for the bastard off his face. 

Daichi’s hand suddenly appears on his shoulder. He sends Oikawa a questioning glance.

“ I’m fine Daichi.”, he assures Daichi, phrase and intonation familiar. He even added a little smirk, the kind that made Iwa-chan hit him. That was slowly becoming Oikawa’s most used sentence. It seemed every few minutes Daichi was staring at him with some form of concern. It was really pissing Oikawa off. 

The game started without a hitch. No unsightly and poorly timed accidents happened to the other setter, much to Oikawa’s disappointment. The first year wing spikers did great as well. How frustrating. After every particularly good spike, Oikawa saw that the coach had a special gleam in his eyes. Just as he thought. It seemed like their coach had a special place in his heart for strong, flashy moves, with little regard for the set up just like Shiratorizowa. No wonder Ushijima was thriving. Bokuto on the other hand was causing the whole court to light up with his excited cheers and powerful cross shots. Oikawa could even feel his own heart rate elevate watching the spiker play. He could tell their players were really getting into it, especially the current ace who matched Bokuto’s energy perfectly.

All of this was naturally spoiled by that damned second year setter, Oikawa notes bitterly. He wasn’t even trying to adapt to the different playstyles and preferences of the new first years. Plus there was the problem of Ushijima being left handed. The setter clearly wasn’t used to setting to someone using their left hand and quite a few of his sets were falling a little shorter than anyone would have liked. What an amateur, Oikawa thinks as he huffs to himself. If he hadn’t proved himself to be ten times better than that lazy kind of playstyle, he was doing something horribly wrong. Kuroo eyed him before turning to Yaku and speaking rather loudly.

“That second year setter-what's his name? He’s really throwing off the rhythm of the game.” Yaku frowned at Kuroo.

“Why are you yelling? And it’s not like we’re losing.” Yaku huffs. Washio nods, eyes glued to the game.

“His name is Sato Hoshi. Apparently he’s replacing the fourth year setter that left last year.”  
Oikawa rolls his eyes,“Well he’s obviously not doing a very good job.”  
Kuroo turned his attention to Oikawa, his smirk growing. Oikawa diverts his eyes back to the game just in time to see Mr Otaku-chan setter miss a receive. What a loser.

“What, are you jealous, Oikawa?” Kuroo teased. 

“Of Otaku-chan over there? Never. I’m too magnificent to concern myself with him. I’m simply concerned for the success of this team” 

“ That’s not what your longing stare says,” Kuroo snorts. Oikawa bristles slightly, only slightly.

“ May I remind you who else is on the bench, Rooster-chan?” Kuroo didn’t seem bothered at all by Oikawa’s words.

“I’m not the one trying to go pro.” He replies. Kuroo and Oikawa smile at each other, never breaking the other’s gaze. It’s like two wolves baring their teeth at each other. Suddenly Oikawa’s head rocks forward, a sharp pain shooting through him. Daichi appears behind them, hands still raised from his vicious attack on Oikawa and Kuroo’s skulls. 

“ Cool it guys. We’re supposed to be watching the match.”, Daichi threatens. Oikawa grumbles and turns back to the game as Kuroo laughs, just in time to see Otaku-chan step up to serve. He still has that unconcerned lazy look in his eyes, and his form is awful. He probably won't get it over the net, much less get them a service ace. Oikawa watches as Otaku-chan nearly fails what he can barely call a serve. _We’re playing university level volleyball _he thinks, how is the coach okay with this complete neanderthal being a starter. The weak ball goes wide and tall over the net, basically giving the other team a chance ball. He and Kuroo groan at the same time, turning to each other in surprise. Oikawa shakes it off and watches the other team go for a spike. Luckily their team's libero receives it easily and the ball is back up in the air, in the perfect position for a set. Otaku-chan runs forward and sets it towards Ushijima, once again a little too short. Ushijima still manages to spike it, but it’s not nearly as powerful as one of his regular spikes. The other team manages to receive it back over the net, creating a chance ball.__

__If Oikawa is being honest, the worst part about all of this is that the second year is serviceable. He is able to do his job and works well with the older team members. But Oikawa could be doing so much more for the team. The coach is so enamoured with the new first year tanks he doesn’t realise that the regular formation is holding Bokuto and Ushijima back. That those two could be even stronger, be even more intense. Oikawa has seen them at their best, and he could bring it out of them. Almost as if proving his point, a set that flies a little high for Bokuto ends up getting completely blocked, turning the score for the first set to 17-15. Not a huge deal but he sees the way Bokuto slumps slightly and apologizes to the team, Otaku-chan staying quiet even though that missed point was definitely his fault. He clearly doesn’t care about the moral of the team, and that makes Oikawa want to rip the other’s eyelashes off, one by one. If Iwa-chan were here he’d find a way to calm Oikawa down but the only ones here are Kuroo with his stupid smirk and Daichi with his uncertain glances. So he just stands on the sidelines, frustration slowly boiling over._ _

__~ ~ ~_ _

__The game moves slowly. They are good, and well-rounded and yet the learning curve with the new spikers is giving their opponents time to catch up. Their team won the first set, but the other team managed a narrow victory in the second. Oikawa can see Bokuto’s mood sour as it’s his blocked spike that cost them the set. It’s the third set and Oikawa sees exhaustion start to seep into the players. The points currently show 18-17 in the other teams favour. Some of the upper years who are confident enough in their place on the team are becoming sloppy. Not that he’s calling anyone out in particular of course. The benched players are all twitching with anticipation, so when Oikawa sees the coach stand up he nearly jumps up and down. The coach walks over to them, hands on his hips. He scrutinizes the entire lineup, eyes calculating and sharp. Finally he speaks._ _

__“Yaku, Oikawa, start warming up.” They both jolt up and turn to each other. Oikawa smiles cheerfully at Kuroo as he moves to start his warmup, stretching out his legs and arms. He checks his weak knee, making sure to focus on warming it up thoroughly. The coach watches them and after a few minutes he pulls them over to the faculty bench where the manager and club representative sit. The coach turns back around to them, “Yaku our libero is getting tired trying to receive all their hard spikes and you’re our only backup. I’ll be subbing you in.” Yaku blinks before nodding, his face morphing with determination. The coach then turns to Oikawa. While the coach's stare is away from him, Yaku turns toward Kuroo and sticks out his tongue. Kuroo flips him off in return, smiling._ _

__“Oikawa when it’s Sato’s turn to serve we’ll put you in instead. Now's your time to prove your worth got it? Get us that point.” Oikawa deflates slightly, nodding mutely. That’s better than nothing he supposes, and Sato will be soon to serve anyway. The coach calls for a switch and Yaku hurries to replace the other libero. The points on both rise until it’s Sato’s turn to serve. As Sato moves back to the serving position the coach puts Oikawa in, giving him a stern look and pat on the back. He and Otaku-chan shake hands, and Oikawa does his best calm smile. It comes off as more of a grimace. As he steps onto the court he looks up at the score. 22-22. He takes a shaky breathing, forcing himself into the zone. Any missed serve would be terrible for their team. He adjusts his knee brace, making sure it’s correctly placed, before grabbing the ball. He should go sharp and powerful, no time for his fancy jump float quite yet. Not in this game. He spins the ball, hearing the murmurs of the players around him. He doesn’t rush it, taking time to calm himself. Spending the entire game on the bench let him scrutinize the other team, see the weak spots in their defense. So he knew to send his serve exactly down to the left corner beside #6. It slams down right before the line and he can hear the impact from his side of the court. Bokuto whoops, punching his fist in the air, his mood improving slightly from before._ _

__“Nice serve Oikawa!” He calls. The rest of the team is staring at him, some in awe, some in satisfaction. Oikawa glows in their silent praise, feeling self assured. He had worked hard to perfect his serve over the summer and it was only becoming more dangerous. He bites his cheek, and prepares again, grabbing the ball and spinning it in his hands. He throws it up and slams it across the court. It’s a little too close to the line for comfort but it stays in, earning them match point. By now everyone’s energy is through the roof and Oikawa is flushed with adrenaline. He rolls back his shoulders, throwing up the ball and running after it. He hits the ball and it flies over the net, a little weaker than his previous serves. Dammit, he thinks as the other team clumsily receives it, sending a chance ball back over the net. Yaku receives it, sending it high, a perfect set for Oikawa. He licks his lips and rushes forward into his position. Where does he send it? The ace is currently in the back row and Oikawa doesn’t know enough about the team to know their strengths and weaknesses. Bokuto who’s to Oikawa’s right is still not at the top of his game and Oikawa can’t risk him messing up. He catches movement to his left. He doesn’t want to set it there. But Oikawa’s hands are used to throwing it to the left in tight situations, and if there’s one person who can score it’s their left outside. The set leaves his hands like a surrender and he’s yelling out,_ _

__“Ushiwaka!” before the sound of the impact fills his ears._ _

__~ ~ ~_ _

__It was by no means a perfect set. It’s wobbly with his indecision and not perfectly tailored to Ushijima’s unique style of playing. But it’s better than any of Otaku-chan’s serves and calm, reliable Ushijima sends it over to the right corner of the court with more force than any of his other spikes have had the entire game. The impact echoes through the silent gym. Suddenly their team and the handful of spectators erupt into cheers. Oikawa lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and runs a hand through his hair. It felt normal, setting to the left like that. But it still wasn’t as satisfying as tossing to Iwa-chan. Something had been different. He decides to blame it on Ushijima, like he does with every problem he’s had recently. He’s abruptly pulled into a hug by Bokuto and a few other members of the team._ _

__“Hey Hey! Oikawa that was great!” Bokuto exclaims brightly, slapping his back. Oikawa coughs and smiles cheekily._ _

__“Thanks Bokkun, it was nothing I-” He cuts himself off as he catches Ushijima’s gaze from over the heads of their teammates. The spiker’s former words come to him again. _You will finally be able to win a match now. _Well he was wrong! Oikawa thinks furiously. In fact it was stupid Ushiwaka who made him double guess his set. Iwa-chan could have hit that same ball with just as much force. More even, because Oikawa on the court trusted Iwa-chan just as much as he did off of it. Someone clears their throat and the team breaks up to go line up. Oikawa ends up beside Otaku-chan, who gives him a bored look.___ _

____“That set was weak.” He murmurs, voice emotionless and droopy. Oikawa bristles but plays it off with a laugh, waving his hand._ _ _ _

____“I guess you’re right Sato-tan! I’ll practice more for when I take over as starting setter.” He says, all sunshine and rainbows, daggers hiding in his eyes behind the joyful expression. Otaku-chan tenses at the childish suffix and at Oikawa’s expression before shrugging._ _ _ _

____“We’ll see about that.” He murmurs and for the first time Oikawa sees a flash of emotion in the setters eyes. It’s dark and powerful, and makes Oikawa shiver. Before he can reply the chorus of voices around cut in, thanking each other for the game. Oikawa joins in half a second late, eyes never leaving Otaku-chan’s dull stare._ _ _ _

____~ ~ ~_ _ _ _

____“So?” He asks, slinking up to the coach after the other university team has left and they are packing up for the night. He can see Yaku and Kuroo bickering as Washio stoically folds the net up beside them. “Did I prove myself to you?” The coach considers him before turning back to the clipboard in his hands._ _ _ _

____“Your last serve was weak. It could have cost us the game.” Oikawa opens his mouth, maybe to argue or defend himself but the coach interrupts, looking back up at Oikawa. “And your set was hesitant. Sato always knows where he wants to send the ball. Face facts Oikawa, right now you’re just not starter material.” With that the coach stalks off to speak with the captain of the team. Oikawa stands imobile as he watches the coach’s back. He then slams the ball he’s holding against the ground and stalks away, past a worried Daichi. He slams the gym door behind him._ _ _ _

____~ ~ ~_ _ _ _

____His room feels too quiet. He wants to call Iwa-chan but doesn’t think he could handle it if the call wasn’t picked up. He sets a ball to himself, deep in thought. He should be happy he reasons to himself. They had just won their first practice match of the year, and he had set the winning ball. More than that, he had scored the two points before that with his serves! Really he should be congratulating himself, or even better getting other people to do it for him. But the coach’s words echo around his ear, drowning out any excitement left over from his short time in the game. He’s startled by a knock at his door and groans as he pulls himself off his bed. Why can’t anyone let him wallow in self pity by himself? He pulls open the door and sees Kuroo smirking in the hall, Bokuto and Daichi behind him. Oikawa shuts the door on them as Kuroo opens his mouth. Bokuto’s laughter is audible from the other side. Kuroo knocks again and Oikawa sighs. He opens the door again, hand on his hip._ _ _ _

____“What?” He asks in a bored tone. Kuroo rolls his eyes._ _ _ _

____“Come on. The club’s first years are going out to celebrate being the ones to score the winning point.” At Oikawa’s reluctance he adds, sneakily, “The winning spiker’s paying.”_ _ _ _

____“Ushiwaka?” Oikawa straightens. Kuroo smiles mischievously, while Bokuto nods up and down like a bobble head. Curses Oikawa can’t give up the opportunity to run Ushijima a high bill. He relents._ _ _ _

____“Fine. Let me go change.” Bokuto whoops and punches Kuroo’s shoulder._ _ _ _

____“Told you he’d cave!” Oikawa closes the door again, listening to the bickering as he peers through his clothing for something acceptable. As a last minute idea he sends Iwa-chan a quick text about the practice game and how he wishes it was Iwa-chan who’d spiked the ball instead. He means it to be teasing, but, he thinks as he grabs his coat and locks his dorm door behind him, it’s not exactly far from the truth Oikawa’s been avoiding since the end of his first year of highschool._ _ _ _

____~ ~ ~_ _ _ _

____The rest of the month passes like a quiet stream. They practice, his knee throbs in protest, the coach continues to berate his attempts to improve. He does start going out more, mostly with the lunch squad, sometimes accompanied by Washio and Yaku, and even more rarely, Ushijima. Oikawa still hates him, furiously with a passion, but it’s becoming more fun to prod him than ignore him. Iwa-chan and him have one phone call the whole month. It’s quick and impersonal, but getting to hear Iwa-chan’s gruff voice is more than enough. They talk about nothing, with everything waiting just underneath their pleasantries and icebreakers. It’s a transition month Oikawa thinks. Another check on the calendar, another day closer to the beginning of his life, or maybe even, the end of it._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We appreciate all comments and interactions! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)
> 
> Updated weekly for first three chapters, monthly updates afterward.


	3. Year 1-June

_ Summer's hottest it’s ever been in Oikawa Tooru’s short eight years of living. The sun beats down on him as he sits in the dirt outside their new house. He is drawing large circles in the dirt and is very bored. He’s been bored ever since they’ve moved to this stupid house in this stupid neighborhood. There’s no bustle of the city around him and nowhere to go. It is truly the peak of stupid places. He huffs and is about to scream for his mom so he can be carried inside when he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around and sees another young boy walking past him, a small net tucked under his arm. Oikawa scrambles upward, his mind simply repeating ‘friendfriendfriend’ over and over again. He catches up to the other boy and taps his shoulder. The boy stops and turns to face Oikawa. He has a strange face Oikawa thinks, twisted and blunt, a frown firmly placed across it.  _

_ “Who are you?” The kid questions sharply. “You weren’t here before!” Oikawa smiles, flashing his pearly white teeth. He extends an arm.  _

_ “I’m Oikawa Tooru! I just moved here!” He states proudly. The other boy perks up.  _

_ “Really? That’s so cool!” He shakes himself all over and shakes Oikawa’s hand. It’s a very formal way to make friends as an eight year old. “I’m Iwaizumi Hajime!” Oikawa let's go on his hand, attention turning instead to the net in Iwaizumi’s hands. What a long name Oikawa thinks. There’s no way he’ll have the time to say it every time he wants to grab the boys attention. Vaguely he wonders why he is so sure he and Iwaizumi will be friends. Then he shook it off and chopped it up to his little kid brain.  _

_ “What’s that for?” He asks, curiously pointing at Iwaizumi’s net. Iwaizumi stares down at it before his face lights up and he smiles. It fixes everything that’s wrong with his face, young Oikawa thinks. He wants him to never stop smiling.  _

_ “For catching bugs! Wanna help me?” Iwaizumi extends a hand, expectant and excited. Oikawa contemplates it for a moment, his eight year old brain weighing the pros and cons of going out to hunt bugs with a complete stranger. But then he looks at Iwaizumi’s bright eyes and he knows there’s really only one choice. He may be young, and his mind not yet able to form words for the complex feelings swirling around within him, but does know this. Grabbing the hand of the boy who smiled beautifully and hunted bugs on that warm June day had been the best decision of Oikawa’s life. There was no going back from it. Something within the universe had shifted to create room for the two of them.  _

~ ~ ~

It’s a stressful month, June at university. Exam dates are piling up and their first official match is creeping ever closer. Oikawa wants to be a starter by then. Or at the very least, official pinch server. He could live with that. However, the situation with Otaku-chan has gotten better. He is still constantly eyeing Oikawa, making quiet comments on his form. Like he’s some genius setter. But he’s barely hanging on to his starting position and both he and Oikawa know it. He makes Oikawa want to get and dance around the gym every time and sing everytime the coach praises Oikawa’s growth and critiques Otaku-chan. 

The one setback is Ushijima. Apparently the coach thinks that in spite of the shakiness of the practice game’s final set, Oikawa and Ushijima make a good team. He’s started pairing them together when he should be letting Otaku-chan get accustomed to a left handed setter. For anyone else Oikawa would be over the moon at the fact that he had been picked over the other setter, but the fact that it meant more time spent with Ushijima soured the whole experience. He does as much as humanly possible to limit his and Ushijima’s interactions in the gym. Parties are another story though. There he can get drunk and yell profanities at Ushijima without the worry of an angered spiker head-butting him. Daichi had gotten close a few times but always managed to cool his jets and focus back on his role of being the designated driver. Not that Oikawa has been to many parties. Only a handful in fact. However due to his wonderful luck, Oikawa managed to garner a reputation as a party boy. He shouldn’t complain too much though, as it is partially his fault. Oikawa had had the misfortune of going to a particularly rambunctious party and had left quite an impression. He blames Kuroo for dragging him to the event and challenging him to a shot contest. The night had ended around four am with Oikawa wearing only an undone bow tie on his top half and most of his face covered in star shaped glitter. It seemed that despite his best efforts, he was falling back into his highschool ways. Not that he had been trying very hard in the first place. The pictures of him were circulating all over campus. Even wasted and half asleep, Oikawa was still the prettiest person in the room. In his own personal opinion of course. And the over two thousand people who liked the picture on Instagram. How that photo managed to capture him at a good angle no one will ever know. Iwa-chan always claimed he looked his worst when he slept and when he cried. What a liar, he’s always flawless and now he has physical proof. Oikawa wished he could gloat more but, as was quickly becoming the norm, his message had been ignored. Otaku-chan had smirked when he’d been called into the coach’s office for a talk about his “behavior”. What would Iwa-chan say? Something boring, Oikawa had decided. Iwa-chan wasn’t his mom and Oikawa didn’t need to be babysat like a petulant child. He was an adult for god’s sake! But for some reason he still found himself checking his phone for new messages. 

~ ~ ~

With the month of June comes the approach of summer break. It’s terrifying to Oikawa, that two months have already gone by. His first year will be over before he knows it, he can just tell. He needs to prepare, push further into his future plans. Or else what is this all for?

~ ~ ~

“You’re quiet today Oikawa” Daichi acknowledges one day at lunch. The two of them are eating while Bokuto dominates Kuroo in an arm wrestling competition. “Usually you’d have started teasing Bokuto or Kuroo by now.” Oikawa shrugs, making a face of mock hurt. 

“I can be nice! What are you, my dad?” His throat goes dry as the words leave it. He hadn’t meant to say that. It reminds him of all the times he would call Iwa-chan his mom. Oikawa mentally forces that thought out of his head. It seems like he’s been thinking about Iwa-chan a lot more than usual lately. He could be doing anything and his mind would find a way to relate it to his former ace. If university has made him soft, then summer is making him sentimental. How annoying. It was just the struggle that came with being away from the person he was closest to Oikawa justified. The same thing could happen to anyone. Oikawa tunes back into the conversation to find Daichi shaking his head at him.

“Just a concerned friend. Summer break is coming up soon.” Daichi has a soft smile on his face, one of the gentlest Oikawa had ever seen. “Any big plans?”

“Just back to Miyagi unfortunately.” Oikawa admits, running a hand through his hair. “What about you? Visiting Mr. Refreshing in Tokyo?” Daichi flushes prettily. Oikawa savours the moment. Moments like these were a rarity as it was shockingly hard to embarrass the guy if your name wasn’t Sugawara. Oikawa had tried but there was no one else that could get to Daichi. Other Kiyoko Shimizu but she didn’t count. That girl could fluster anyone just by breathing in their direction, sexuality be damned. It was one of the few constants the universe had to offer.

“Actually both Sugawara and I are also coming back to Miyagi.” At that moment Kuroo plops down beside them, huffing tiredly. Oikawa glowers. Of course the village idiot would decide to join his and Daichi’s perfectly civil conversation. Despite his best efforts Kuroo was terrible at provoking anyone who wasn’t easily riled up. God he pissed Oikawa off.

“What are you two talking about?” He asks, stealing a carrot from Oikawa’s tin. Oikawa really wants to strangle him. Shove him into a river. Throw him off a cliff. Anything really to make the dumbass cease to exist. He settles on plastering on a fake smile and saying 

‘If Rooster-chan wanted a taste of what he’s packing, he could have just asked.’ Kuroo winks back.. 

“ We were just discussing summer break.” Daichi cuts in. He starts talking about his plans with Sugawara in earnest and Oikawa’s attention drifts. The fun part was now over, there weren't anymore opportunities to embarrass Daichi now that he had found his footing. Oikawa idly looks around for Bokuto and spots him a few feet away excitedly smothering another student's dog. The dog seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Finally Bokuto found something with the same energy as him. Oikawa can’t wait to write out their wedding invitations.

“Oh, it’s back to Tokyo for me. I’m just gonna sleep and eat for two weeks.” He tunes back to the conversation time to hear Kuroo say his plans. Oikawa grins maliciously.

“What? No pretty girlfriend waiting for you?” To Oikawa’s shock Kuroo doesn’t joke back, or even smile. His face darkens and he shrugs mutely. Bingo. 

“ Oh no Rooster-chan! Did she finally gather enough common sense to leave you? Don’t worry I’m sure I can find you someone even more naive to replace her.” Kuroo somehow frowns deeper. 

“Hey Oikawa calm down, I’m sure if Kuroo and his girlfriend broke up it was more a mutual reason.” Kuroo stands suddenly. His face has morphed into what Oikawa recognized as a very artificial smile. 

“Hey Boku-bro you’re gonna kill that dog! Give it a rest!” Kuroo calls across the green, focusing entirely on Bokuto, the dog, and it’s very flustered owner. Bokuto jolts away from the dog and glares at Kuroo.

“I’m not hurting it! You’re just jealous that i’ve got this little puppy all to myself!” He yells back, flapping his arms to enunciate. Kuroo laughs and starts jogging over to Bokuto.

“I’ll show you how to properly pet a dog. Don’t worry, not everyone can be a master straight away.” 

Daichi turns to Oikawa and the look he gives can only be described as pure and utter disappointment. Oikawa flinches, however the momentary regret is quickly replaced with a rising anger. This situation was all wrong. Daichi shouldn’t be reprimanding him for going too far, he shouldn’t have gone that far to begin with. Why did no one stop him? On reflex Oikawa looks beside him but no one was there. His anger cools with realization. There’s no one to keep him in line here. Iwa-chan was two hours away, making some new life for himself. Oikawa was sitting on terribly kept grass surrounded by highschool rivals in some random university he chose for plans that fell through. Iwazumi was moving on and Oikawa was stuck in place. He groans and drops his head. He supposes he’s always known Iwa-chan would eventually outgrow him. He just wasn’t prepared for it to happen so soon. He had expected they’d at least have university. But no, that wasn’t how the universe worked. What would he be left with? Meetings for coffee during their summer and winter breaks? A text on holidays? How long would it take until he had nothing but time worn memories and radio silence? Oikawa gets up, ignoring Daichi’s surprised murmur and moves to join in on torturing that poor dog. After a moment Daichi follows.

The dog's name was Phillipe. He was 5 years old and unfairly soft. He had large floppy ears and white patches dotted across chocolate coloured fur. He was much happier when Oikawa arrived to give him attention so maybe the world wasn’t completely broken. Kuroo however had stiffened and moved to the other side of the dog. Oikawa felt a surge of annoyance. His insults weren’t even that good, did they seriously hit that close to home? Bokuto, oblivious of always had informed Oikawa that Philliped liked being pet behind the ears. 

~ ~ ~

Exams pass without a hitch, as expected for a brilliant man of Oikawa’s caliber. His only hitch had been the biotech class he’d decided to take right at the last minute. However he’d passed it with a decent mark, and had even somehow managed to wrangle a barely passing grade for Bokuto in astronomy. It probably helped that he spent every second he wasn’t playing volleyball growing up learning about space and technology. The two subjects that made up a majority of his course load this semester. They still had an odd few days of classes before break, for reasons Oikawa can’t fathom. What were they going to do if people didn’t show up? What were the students going to miss out on, valuable course information? For everyone, at least in Oikawa’s case, the last few days of the first semester were used for partying. And practicing volleyball of course. As much as he loved Miyagi and Seijo’s gym, they just couldn’t compete with a university level one. He finds himself spending more time within the walls of the gym than he does in his own dorm room most days. 

~ ~ ~

He tries to use the last few days to mature as well. He wants to prove to Iwa-chan he can make it on his own too. Which is how he ends up outside Kuroo and Bokuto’s room, armed with a bag of food from the only semi decent restaurant he could find that didn’t make his wallet wince. _ This is stupid _ , his mind mutters. He’s not even sure Iwa-chan would be back in Miyagi for the break. All he got in response to the question had been a cryptic  _ idk yet.  _ But still, the tiny, generous part of his mind argues back. You shouldn’t just be doing this to impress Iwa-chan. He steels himself and knocks on the door. He hears mumbling and shifting on the other side before a disheveled Kuroo opens the door. His bed head has increased tenfold and he’s shirtless with sleep clinging to his eyes. Oikawa has to clear his throat a few times. 

“What do you want?” Kuroo asks curtly, his passive tired expression morphing to simmering annoyance. Oikawa knows he doesn’t have a lot of time before he gets a door shoved straight into his face. His arm extends to offer the bag of food and he cracks a joke-y smile. 

“I come bearing gifts Kuro-chan! And my sincerest apologies for any harm done to you.” He places a hand on his chest to prove his seriousness. It doesn’t seem to affect Kuroo who just blinks at him. 

“What…’harm’ have you done to me?” The middle blocker asks finally. Oikawa rolls his eyes. Of course devious Kuroo would make Oikawa spell it out for him, while distracting him too! Seriously Kuroo needs to put on a shirt. 

“That day at the park” Oikawa replies smoothly. “You seemed very distraught.” The face in front of him clears with understanding. It darkens then clears and Kuroo straightens against the doorframe. 

“I was fine. It’s no big deal Oikawa, water under the bridge.” Kuroo finally accepts the bag of food and peers into it. Oikawa prays he doesn’t complain because it’s now pouring rain outside and the restaurant he got it from is surely closed by now. Luckily Kuroo just nods at the contents of the bag and closes it once more. He stares at Oikawa in expectation. Oikawa clears his throat once more. 

“Well anyway! I’ll be off-enjoy your summer break Kuroo-chan~! Make sure you practice your spikes and maybe you’ll be able to join a practice match in fourth year!” He hears a chuckle behind him as he retreats down the hall and he’s 95% sure that Kuroo flips him off before closing the door. Maybe it’s not the best reconciliation ever but it’s better than nothing and, Oikawa thinks, Kuroo will be fine. 

~ ~ ~

“Your serves are powerful but they have no control. Until you can perfect both placement and the force of your serves the other team will find ways to receive it.” Oikawa could practically bounce up and down with glee. It’s the last day of official practice and the coach is going through each of them, telling them what they need to improve over the break. The coach had just gotten to Ushijima and oh boy did he have a lot to say about his crazy power serve. And Oikawa has to agree, personal vendetta against Ushijima aside. It was crazy powerful of course, and terrifying to be on the receiving side of but Ushijima had basically no control over it. It usually just went straight across the net. Still scary, but not unbeatable. The coach continues down the line, giving mostly criticism with the odd morsel of praise sprinkled among them. Bokuto, surprisingly is complimented on his cross shots. Finally the coach gets to Oikawa after going through all the starters and most of the stand ins. Oikawa straightens his back and tries to look as professional as possible. Surely the coach will have something to say about his improvement. He’s been practicing nonstop. 

“Tooru Oikawa.” The coach lists. He stares at his clipboard for a moment before meeting Oikawa’s eye. “Work on your left side. You leave it uncovered too often and you can’t always have the left taking those receives if you ever want to make starter.” He moves on to the next person. Oikawa’s stomach falls, and his anger rises. What the hell was that? Everyone else has gotten at least a few minutes and he gets two measly sentences? Unbelievable. And for something so stupid! His left side? Oikawa grumbles then rest of the meeting and most of the way to the dorm. 

~ ~ ~

He’s in the gym practicing his sets when he hears footsteps approaching him. He blocks them out, sure it’s just Daichi or some random third year. He hits another set. It hits right along the line, just as he intended it to. A self satisfied smirk crosses his face. 

“You’re as good at serving as always Oikawa.” A voice mutters behind him. He nearly jumps out of his skin and the hairs on the back of his neck twitch upwards. He spins around to see that sure enough the freak Ushiwaka is standing beside him watching him serve. What a creep! Oikawa glowers at him. 

“What do you want, Ushiwaka? The loser club meeting is tomorrow you know!” Ushijima’s expression doesn’t change. 

“I am not here for the ‘loser club’ meeting. I wish to talk to you.” Oikawa groans with his whole body, rolling his face to his knees. 

“You are so annoying! Just tell me what you want already!” He whines. Ushijima blinks. 

“I would appreciate it if you could teach me your technique for your serves. They are obviously less powerful than mine but you do have a talent for controlling them. Your technique would have been invaluable at nationals.” It takes Oikawa to process that chunk of information. When he does he jumps away from Ushijima and points an accusing finger at him. 

“No way! You don’t insult me and then ask for my help! Grovel does a bit, clean my shoes! Even Tobio-chan knew what to do and he has the same amount of brain cells as a carton of milk!” How pretentious can you be? Ushijima makes no change in his appearance and simply turns to head back out of the gym. 

“You are currently emotional. I will ask you again after summer break.” He opens the metal doors to the outside of the gym. 

“Hold on-that’s it!? You just give up?” Oikawa can’t help screeching out. So he's pretentious and a pushover! What a loser. There’s no way this is the relentless ace from Shiratorizawa. Ushijima pauses at the door. 

“I have not given up. I am simply postponing my request until you have better control of your emotions.” Breathe Oikawa coaches himself. You can’t be a pro volleyball player if you murder your university teammate. It will look bad on resumes. Breathe. When he opens his eyes again Ushijima has left the gym. 

~ ~ ~

It’s one am and Oikawa receives a text. He’s been quietly setting to himself in the dark of his room when the flash of light from his phone catches his attention. He drops his volleyball and rushes to unlock the device. It’s heart rate increases harshly. 

_ I’ll be in Miyagi from the 21st to the 1st of august.  _

It’s simple. It’s straight forward. It’s boring and lame and emotionless. But it still creates a tornado in Oikawa’s chest cavity and makes his ears burn red. He hurriedly types a few replies back. 

_ Yay Iwa-chan!!  _

_ I’ve missed youuuuuyy :((( _

_ School is BORING, summer should be forever _

_ Then we can just play volleyball all day! _

The texts come off whiny and clingy even by Oikawa’s standards. It seems that as much as he’s been trying to convince himself that he can live without Iwa-chan, he will always come running when his best friend calls. But is that really such a bad thing? Oikawa doesn’t think he would mind following Iwa-chan around like a lost dog for the rest of his life, as pathetic as that sounds. He hates to admit it, even to himself in a pitch dark dorm room but he would even give up his volleyball dreams if Iwa-chan asked him to. It’s a scary thought, with too many implications that Oikawa chooses to ignore. His phone buzzes. 

_ Stupid Oikawa _

_ Not all of us can make it as pro volleyball stars and actually need an education _

_ Loserkawa _

Oikawa gasps in indignation.

_ You don’t need to put two insults! One is enough! _

_ Mean Iwa-chan! >-< _

He waits one, three, five minutes. His phone screen doesn’t light up again but he’s still flushed with happiness at the small interaction. How very sad. Even so, Oikawa can’t find the strength to care. He’s going to see Iwa-chan for the first time in nearly three months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the last of weekly chapters! We're now moving on to updating once a month.  
> We appreciate all comments and interactions! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)
> 
> Updates monthly


	4. Year 1-July/August

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Before the chapter we just wanted to let you all know that there's now a playlist for this series! It's all over the place but my friend put it together and I added quite a bit to it as well. Anyway, we hope you enjoy the chapter.

Train rides, Oikawa realizes, can be very nerve racking. He’s sitting next to Daichi on the ride back to Miyagi and every part of his body is on edge. It’s the longest he’s ever been away from home, what if everything has changed? Or worse, what if everything has continued to be the same without him? He checks his phone periodically, the bright light flashing across his face. He’s not sure if he’s checking the time or waiting for a text at this point. After his tenth time within five minutes Daichi’s hand flashes out and snaps at his wrist. 

“Oikawa I am saying this as a friend- if you do not stop I will strangle you. Slowly.” Oikawa pouts at that. Daichi wasn’t very creative with his threats but he still manages to be scary. How rude of him.

“I’m sorry that I have a social life Daichi! I get it, you're jealous but there’s no need to be so aggressive! You’re acting like Iwa-chan” Daichi rolls his eyes and huffs, sitting back into his seat. Oikawa is about to unlock his phone again when something clicks in his head. He squeals and claps his hands. “Daichi! You called me your friend!”

“Of course I did? We are friends aren’t we?” Daichi replies, his brow furrowing in confusion. It makes him look far too much like a lost puppy. It’s rather cute and Oikawa savours it. 

“We sure are Daichi! Does this mean I can give you a nickname?” He asks, tapping his chin thoughtfully. So far he’s been too scared to even attempt to think of one. Daichi frowns at him, shaking his head. 

“I would prefer you didn’t.”

“Oh Daichi you’re not fun at all!” He jokes, scrunching his nose to figure out the perfect nickname. He doesn't realize it but he doesn’t check his phone the rest of the ride. 

~ ~ ~

It’s raining in Miyagi. Because of course it is, and of course Oikawa forgot an umbrella. Daichi offers his but Oikawa shakes him off, claiming he’ll need to be nice and dry for meeting Sugawara. He’s deeply regretting this gesture as he stands beside the happy couple. They haven’t stopped displaying affection since they’d been reunited. It’s sickening, he thinks as Sugawara pecks Daichi’s forehead with a kiss. He would have expected this behaviour from Daichi, that man reeks of domestic fantasy, but he expected better from Mr Refreshing. He vaguely wonders if they even remember he’s there, waiting for the ride home Daichi so graciously offered. Iwa-chan wasn’t in Miyagi yet and his parents had work, so he was now stuck with the lovebirds. Transit in the country sucks.

It takes at least three years but eventually the lovebirds remember him and stop their assault on each other’s faces. Sugawara blushes bright red in apology and ushers them both to his small car. Oikawa is impressed. He doesn’t even have a license. His head brushes against the ceiling as he slips into the backseat of the car. It was definitely not made for volleyball players, he muses, staring out the window at the rain pounding on the concrete outside. He barely notices when Sugawara starts the engine and they drive off. 

~ ~ ~

“Have a good trip!” Daichi and Sugawara call in unison as he steps out of the car. He flashes a big grin and replies the same way before heading up his driveway to his house. The structure itself hasn’t changed at all much to his relief, still all white walls and peeling paint. He’s lived in this house since he was a kid so he would know if anything at all had changed. But no, the dented wall from when he and Iwa-chan tried to play volleyball with bowling balls is still there. So is the blackened piece of wood on the doorframe from when Iwa-chan and him tried to use a magnifying glass on a snail. He brushed his hand across the doorknob, a small keychain is still tied around the handle from the time Iwa-chan won it at an arcade. 

~ ~ ~

_ “Wow Iwa-chan! I can’t believe you managed to gather all those tickets.”, Thirteen year-old Oikawa praised. Iwa-chan was so good at every game they played and for once Oikawa couldn’t find it in him to be jealous. No harm in letting his best friend shine, especially since he gets the spotlight the rest of the time anyway.  _

_ “It was nothing”, The other boy grumbled. But Oikawa could see that no matter his words, Iwa-chan was glowing with pride. The local arcade was notorious for how impossible it was to get anything from the prize counter. The number of tickets needed to get even the smallest of prizes is crazily high. _

_ “Come on Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whined,” just admit that the keychain is really cool.” _

_ “You think it's cool?”, Iwa-chan looked almost startled. _

_ “Well duh.” It was really awesome after all. A vibrantly coloured godzilla-like creature hung off of the chain, a vicious look about it. Iwa got a contemplative look in his eyes for half a second before brightening. _

_ “If you like it so much, why don't you keep it?” He said, casually holding the charm out. Oikawa gasped in excitement, reaching out to snatch the keychain. It sat in the middle of his palm. He sobered suddenly. _

_ “Marry me.” There was a beat of silence. _

_ “What?” _

_ “Uh I just- uh you know what it’s not fair if I get the dinosaur.”, Oikawa’s face flushed completely. Iwa-chan hit the back of his head. _

_ “Godzilla.” _

_ “Huh?” Oikawa tilted his head. Iwa-chan rolled his eyes.  _

_ “It’s Godzilla, not just a dinosaur.” _

_ “Oh.” Oikawa shrugged. “My point still stands. It’s not fair for me to keep it all to myself!” _

_ “I already gave it to you idiot.” _

_ “ Still you worked for it,” Oikawa trailed off. _

_ “That’s never stopped you before.” Iwa-chan was clearly beginning to lose his patience. They came to a stop outside Oikawa’s house and Oikawa was suddenly struck with one of his brilliant ideas. _

_ “Wait I got it! How about it’s your keychain, but we put it on my front door? That way it’ll really be like it's your home too. You can’t have Tooru without Iwa-chan after all!”  _

Oikawa smiles fondly at the memory of it all, hand running across the braided metal. His house is as much Iwa-chan’s as it is his. He squares his shoulders and enters the darkened house, calling out an “your darling is home at last~” just in case his sister was lurking for some reason. Hearing no reply, he shrugs and drops his suitcase onto the wooden floor, the loud thud echoing throughout the empty house. He can’t stop the heavy sigh that escapes him. Welcome home Oikawa.

~ ~ ~

The rest of the evening is filled with warm welcomes from his parents and sharp teasing from his sister. He had forgotten how vicious she could be. Luckily her husband and devil of a son wasn’t joining them for dinner. He doubted he would be able to handle that, especially jet lagged and running on four hours of sleep. He might accidentally curse out a child. 

“So how is it Tooru?” His mother is asking. “Not too much work is it?”

“It’s fine mom. Volleyball’s good.” He replies evasively. 

“Right, but the classes are good? You are getting good grades too?” His dad interrupts. Oikawa shrugs, non-committal, and takes a bite of chicken. It’s not that he doesn’t love his parents or anything. They just had so little faith in his volleyball career. Especially after he injured his knee. That had been a fun conversation. 

“They’re pretty easy so far. I should pass no problem.” He supplied eventually after a little more prodding from his dad. His dad is about to ask another question when his sister jumps in, still chewing a bite of rice. 

“Where’s your other half? Finally get rid of you?” Oikawa rolls his eyes, ignoring the way the statement pulls at his heart. 

“Iwa-chan doesn’t get here until tomorrow. I’m going to meet him at the train station.”

“Invite him to dinner! I’ve missed you two boys causing a ruckus.” His mother says brightly. “I’ll even cook his favourite. 

“You didn’t even cook my favourite!”

“Well, Iwaizumi has been like a son to us dear.”

“I  _ am  _ your son!”

~ ~ ~

It’s a little cooler the next day on the train station and Oikawa zips up his windbreaker. He’d managed to get Iwa-chan the time he’d be arriving and had come prepared. Coffee in hand and he’d arrived ten minutes early. He watches the trains breeze past the station ruffling up his hair. There is a tiny knot of worry that is slowly growing in his stomach, his anxieties from university resurfacing. He shakes them off with a firm foot stomp. He has nothing to worry about! Iwa-chan and him were going to be reunited and he could work on volleyball with an actually good spiker, not stupid Ushijima. 

It takes five more minutes of waiting before he sees the train he’s looking for. Oikawa nearly drops both of the coffees as he rushes to meet it, getting as close to the edge of the platform as possible. For a few moments his head is spinning every which way as he looks for Iwa-chan. He’s about to start calling out when a large hand grabs the back of his jacket and pulls him from the crowd. 

“You’re an idiot Crappykawa. What are you doing here?”

“Iwa-chan!” He exclaims excitedly. Awkwardly he tries to hug Iwa-chan, suddenly annoyed with the coffees in his hand. He shoves one at Iwa-chan, flapping his arm. “Here! I know I know I am too generous! Do not thank me!” 

“Shittykawa.” Iwa-chan grumbles, staring down at the cup that is now in his hand. Oikawa falters. He got Iwa-chain’s favourite, black with an extra espresso shot. Then he tugs Iwa-chain’s sleeve excitedly. 

“No time for your bad personality now! We have to hurry- Sister-chan isn’t going to wait forever!” Iwa-chan follows reluctantly, coffee abandoned in his hand. 

The car ride is awkward. Like very very awkward. They don’t say much as Oikawa’s sister drives them to Iwa-chan’s house. It makes Oikawa want to pull his hair out. When did it become so hard to talk to his best friend? He had expected to just fall back into their old rhythm. Oikawa scrounges for topics to start a conversation. Oh wait. Volleyball duh. 

“You have to practice some spikes with me Iwa-chan. I’m going to make starter and it wouldn’t hurt for you to see how a real setter does things!” Iwa says nothing for a long moment, far too long for such a simple request. Finally he speaks. 

“I can’t.” Oikawa has to do a double take. Even his sister coughs, startled by the response. 

“Why not! Am I not good enough for you now Iwa-chan?” He teases. Unfortunately Iwa-chan doesn’t react besides shrugging. 

“Something like that. It’s right here.” He adds, pointing out his house to Oikawa’s sister. Like she hasn’t driven him home from their house more times than Oikawa can count. She parks up the road and Iwa-chan thanks her as he grabs his bag. But Oikawa isn’t finished. 

“Can I come in with you? Pretty please??” He even bats his eyelashes. Somehow Iwa-chan stays immune to his charms. 

“I have to unpack idiot.” Seeing Oikawa’s totally real devastated look he sighs and pinches his brow. Iwa-chan and Daichi really would get on. Oikawa is trying to recall their last interaction when Iwa-chan starts talking. “I’m going. See you.”

“Wait! Iwa-chan you’re serious? I can’t come in?” He pouts in annoyance. Usually Oikawa wouldn’t even ask, he would already be up at the front door. But something has shifted and he feels awkward even having this conversation. Iwa-chan sighs yet again. His expression softens as he stares at Oikawa.

“We can hang out at the park tomorrow okay? I’m swamped right now and just want to crash for a bit.” Oikawa nods enthusiastically. It’s not what he wanted but, contrary to popular belief, he can compromise sometimes. As Iwa-chan disappears into his house, Oikawa turns back to face the front of the car when something catches his eye. It’s Iwa-chan’s coffee cup. He picks it up. It’s completely full. 

~ ~ ~

The park is filled with loud little children. They remind Oikawa of Takeru, full of snot and annoyingly high pitched voices. He and Iwa-chan are strolling in lazy circles around the greenery, and Oikawa can’t stop talking. He’s not even sure what he’s saying anymore. He’s pretty sure it has to do with volleyball but it’s anyone’s guess really. It doesn’t matter anyway when Iwa-chan is so obviously not listening to a word he says. His expression is distant and far away and very unlike Iwa-chan. He’s usually so much more...grounded. He’s Oikawa’s rock in a sense. Stopping him from flying to high, from burning up from the sun. Oikawa smiles, warmth filling him. It’s a comforting thought.

“So I told Kuro-chan-if you’re going to spike it stop smirking at me! Focus on the ball! I mean the nerve he has-”

“Oikawa.” Iwa-chan interjects, speaking for the first time all day. His voice is quiet and serious. Oikawa freezes and turns to him, expectant. Iwa-chan scratches his head. “What the hell are we talking about?” 

“Volleyball of course! Were you even paying attention?” For his troubles Oikawa gets a smack on the shoulder. He pouts. “Ow! You’re so mean Iwa-chan!” 

“That’s what you get for being shitty.” He doesn’t add anything else though, just continues walking. Thanks to the interruption Oikawa also falls silent, expression darkening. Slowly Iwa’s face softens. He turns to Oikawa like he’s about to speak but something catches Oikawa’s eye. 

“Iwa-chan! Look over there!” He points a finger at a group of teens, a volleyball being passed between them. “Let’s go join them.”

“They’re just kids Oikawa, they wouldn’t stand a chance.” It might be phrased as light teasing but Oikawa is pretty sure he sees Iwa-chain’s eyes go dull. He elects to ignore it, as this is the most Iwa-chan has spoken to him in ages. 

“That’s the point! Haven’t had room to play around recently.” He cheers, clenching his fist in excitement. Iwa-chan still looks bothered beyond his usual disapproving look so he adds quickly, “Please Iwa-chan? I want to set for you! Like old times?”

“It’s only been three months Oikawa.” Iwa-chan mumbles. But he’s crumbling, Oikawa can see it. His shoulders are tightening and his jaw is set. Just needs one more push, then Oikawa wins.

“Even worse! You’ve probably forgotten how to spike good now that you don’t have my sets! Let’s goooo Iwa-chan~!” Iwa-chan bites his lip and glances around. What’s he so worried about? No one cares, or is even watching them. And what’s so bad about playing volleyball? It’s not illegal to play a game with teenagers as far as Oikawa remembers. “Iwa-chan?”

“Hmm?” Iwa-chan turns back to Oikawa, realizing he’s still waiting for an answer. There is a long moment before he shakes his head. 

“I’ll watch. You can play if you want.” Wait what? Oikawa hadn’t expected that. 

“It’s not the same Iwa-chan! Spike for me!”

“No! Shittykawa listen to someone for once!”

“But why not?” Iwa-chan freezes. Oikawa puts his hands on his hips. There’s ten seconds of tense silence. 

“Because I said so!” Iwa-chan says finally. “Let’s go to that cafe.” He starts storming away. 

“Iwa-chan wait!”

~ ~ ~

_ Ring ring _

“Kuroo Tetsurou’s Mule Barn. Head ass speaking. How can I help you?” Oikawa groans deeply. He already wishes he hadn’t called his teammate.

“You are so lame Kuro-chan! You have the same humour as a scene kid in 2012. Besides, is that anyway to greet a close friend?”

“Close friend? Being a little presumptuous, aren't we sweetheart?” Oikawa rolls his eyes. 

“Now is not the time for specifics Kuro-chan! I am in need of help!” If it was possible to hear an eyebrow raise through the phone Oikawa was sure he would after finishing his sentence. Kuroo’s curiosity had been piqued. 

“The great Oikawa in need of help? Hold on let me grab Bokuto, this is too good-“

“Kuro-chan don’t you dare! This is serious!” Oikawa whines. 

“Sorry I can’t hear you, you’re on speaker. Say hi Bokuto!”

“Hi!” Oikawa hears Bokuto’s excited voice burst through the screen. “How are you Oikawa?”

“Hi Bokkun. Kuro-chan stop being bitter and help me!” 

“Well you need to tell me the issue before I can help Oikawa.” Oikawa groans. This is so stupid. What is he doing, going to Kuroo of all people for help? Well it’s too late now. 

“Of course I know that!” He lowers his voice. “Hypothetically, what would you say it means , if a spiker didn’t want to spike anymore of your sets?” There’s a long silence at the other end and Oikawa fidgets. It can’t be that difficult of a question right? Oikawa listens closer and suddenly realizes it isn’t actually silent. There’s a small amount of noise coming through and it sounds like...laughter. He clenches his fist. The nerve! 

“I didn’t realize my trauma was amusing to you Rooster-kun! Perhaps I should just go ask someone else!”

“No no-” Kuroo wheezes, finally bringing the phone back to his ear. He’s still laughing. “Sorry-no I got this. Whew.” Oikawa raps his foot impatiently before Kuroo finally composes himself. “Oikawa. Have you ever considered I don’t know-they just don’t want to practice anymore?”

“What kind of spiker doesn’t want to hit more sets? I always wanna play more!” Bokuto interjects. Oikawa had almost forgotten he was listening. Still, he agrees with Bokuto more than Kuroo in this particular moment. 

“Thank you Bokkun! I would be playing volleyball right now if I could!” From the other side Kuroo sighs. 

“You are both hopeless. Not everyone’s life revolves around volleyball! Sometimes people get tired, unlike you freaks.” Oikawa frowns. Iwa-chan loves playing volleyball though! And the only times he’s ever flat out denied Oikawa spikes was when it was late and he was claiming Oikawa was ‘overworking’. 

“Hmm I don’t think that’s it Kuro-chan. I mean who would choose to not play volleyball?” He interjects, hearing a conversation on the other side. Clearly Bokuto was agreeing with Oikawa. Kuroo groans. 

“Why do I even try? There’s no reasoning with idiots like you.” Oikawa gasps in offense at the same time Bokuto let’s out an outraged “hey!” Kuroo must manage to calm him down because the next time he speaks there’s barely any background noise. “The fact of the matter Oikawa, is that unless he’s told you anything specific it’s probably not a big deal. I wouldn’t stress. I mean Kenma never wants to play volleyball. Ever.” Oikawa ponders this before humming. 

“Hmm Kuro-chan that was surprisingly astute! Who taught you how to think?” In response he gets a barely audible your mom joke before the call is abruptly cut off. Oikawa laughs to himself in the confines of his room. It was a stupid conversation, but the weight on his chest is no longer suffocating.

“Oi Tooru get off the phone and help me cook dinner!” His sister calls from the kitchen. Oikawa rolls his eyes. 

“I’m already done Oneesan~ No need to be so loud!” He calls as he pulls open the door to his room and starts down the stairs. “Don’t you have your own house to cook disgusting food at?”

“Don’t you have someone else to annoy with your shitty personality?”

~ ~ ~

It’s sometime later and Oikawa is once again on his phone. This time it was entirely unintentional however. He had simply meant to text Iwa-chan, maybe start a conversation that led to his odd behaviour recently. But then Iwa had surprised him with a call after Oikawa had sent just one text. Which was in itself, odd. Oikawa was usually the one who called and Iwa-chan only picked up about 70% of the time. However Oikawa wasn’t complaining. He found himself missing Iwa-chan’s voice the moment the other fell silent. 

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of such an unexpected phone call? You do know we are in the same city right Iwa-chan?” He asks after a few minutes of pleasantries. 

“What I can’t just call my best friend for the fun of it?” Is Iwa-chan’s reply. Oikawa rolls his eyes at his screen. He’s getting antsy, wanting to actually  _ speak  _ to Iwa-chan instead of this boring talking they’ve been doing recently. Even their small talk gives no information. He doesn’t even know if Iwa made starter on his school’s volleyball team. When Oikawa voices this particular concern however Iwa-chan goes strangely quiet for a moment before responding. 

“No I didn’t.” He sounds off, Oikawa remarks to himself. He’s gotten quite good at reading Iwa-chan over the years and he’s never been like this before. So distant and vague. Dramatics have always been saved for Oikawa’s use, he never thought he’d have Iwa-chan as a rival in that regard. Oikawa’s struggling to catch up to the new shift in dynamics. Their conversation continues for an odd few minutes before trickling away with a promise to meet up again before Iwa’s visit ends. They might even go visit Seijo’s campus and visit their beloved cute kouhai.

~ ~ ~

The next two weeks that Iwa-chan is in Miyagi pass normally. They make Oikawa nostalgic for highschool, when they were quite literally joined at the hip. Most of Iwa-chan’s strange distance is gone, though there is still the odd moment of that strange behaviour again, where he cuts Oikawa off or suddenly becomes cold and dismissive. It’s not like Iwa-chan is the brightest ball of sunshine there is but he’s never been quite so…passionless. And he still won’t play volleyball with Oikawa. 

~ ~ ~

They don’t spend much time with any of their old friends. Their former third year friends Makki and Mattsun’s schedules didn’t match up with their own and they don’t end up going to Seijo’s campus either. It’s also a break for the highschool students and Iwa-chan shoots down Oikawa’s idea to stalk the second and third years to interrogate them about how the new volleyball team looks. A shame really. Half of the reason he came down was to see with his own eyes how having Maddog as a third year would even work. They don’t run into Ushijima or any other Shiratorizawa freaks and Oikawa counts that as a blessing. 

~ ~ ~

All too soon Iwa-chan is heading back to his university. He leaves early in the morning. Oikawa never even said goodbye. All he got was a short ‘we’ll meet up again soon okay Trashykawa?’ the day before. Oikawa had really thought that maybe it had just been the distance making things weird but clearly something else was going on. He hadn’t gotten the chance to ask any important questions though. And now he was stuck for two weeks without any friends before he heads back to university campus. He could call up Daichi, he muses, but any plans would undoubtedly include Sugawara and Oikawa was far too single to deal with those two for extended periods of time. He already knew Makki and Mattsun weren’t available. That left his former kouhai. He was very seriously considering breaking his promise to not stalk them. 

In the end he didn’t meet up with anyone at all. He sits in his room, hangs out with his nephew and even manages to see some of his former students from when he taught them volleyball. They don’t seem to have gotten much better without Oikawa’s tutelage with the exception of Takeru. Most of all though, he practices volleyball. It’s not an option to get rusty now. He was sure stupid Ushijima was using the break to get even more powerful and Oikawa isn’t going to fall behind. He manages to snag some tapes of Seijo’s old matches and finds himself wrapped up in blankets late at rewatching them with a critical eye. It’s a week before he heads back to the university campus and his last day with the tapes. He plans to use them as best he can. He pauses the video to scrutinize his form as he serves. It’s definitely improved since then, but there was always more he could do. He wishes he had newer tapes of himself playing. Maybe he should have asked Iwa-chan to film a few quick videos when he’d been there. Oikawa’s sister and Takeru were still an option yet he doubted his sister had the time, and Takeru was worse with technology than Oikawa was. Well it’s too late now. He turns his attention back to the old match playing on his tv. It's one of their practice matches from the summer training camp Seijo attended last year. He squints at the screen watching himself set up a spike for Iwa-chan. It gets received and spiked back at him. But that’s not what catches Oikawa’s eye. It’s a small thing but it makes him pause and rewind and rewatch the five seconds again. And again. And again. He watches the virtual him completely leave the defence of the left to Iwa-chan. It must be a fluke he tries to reassure himself. No way he’s so trusting of Iwa-chan to leave himself so vulnerable. He fast forwards through the rest match. And then two others. And then footage of a three vs three they did for fun. 

It’s not a constant thing at the very least. Thinking back to the coach's word Oikawa would have thought his left defence would be absolutely terrible. But it’s not. Even in the game’s with Iwa-chan he rarely has any holes at all. He’s a good receiver, there’s no way he would’ve been unaware if he never went for the left. But it’s enough. Enough to be noticeable. He knows when it happens now too. When he gets too deep in a groove, when they get a streak of left side kills. Something in Oikawa’s brain is flipping a switch he didn’t know he had, easing up on the court and letting Iwa-chan propel him forward. 

~ ~ ~

It’s four days before he has to head back to university, and three days after the discovery of his Achilles heel. He’s babysitting Takeru at the park while his sister makes some sort of work trip. He doesn’t mind much, though he made sure to complain a great deal until she agreed to pay him for it. Maybe he’s extorting his sister, but hey don’t diss the hustle. He’s a broke college student who's not eligible for a part time job yet. He’s gotta get cash where he can. Besides it’s not like Takeru is the easiest to handle. He bullies Oikawa to no end and when Oikawa tries to complain what does he get? Laughter! It’s an impossible system designed to hurt Oikawa emotionally. On the plus side he does get to watch Takeru set a ball into his own face a million times. So a fair deal in a way. 

Oikawa collapses on the bench dramatically. “Takeru be a dear nephew and grab me a glass of water would you?” His nephew just stares at him blankly. Oikawa sighs. “Or at least go play over there. I’m beat.” That does the trick and Takeru scampers away to continue practicing his volleyball skills alone. Oikawa sits up on the bench, appraising the boy up and down, watching his form. It’s not half bad in all honesty. He’s no prodigy but he has the method down and the determination to keep going. It reminds Oikawa of his own stubbornness in a way. 

“Oikawa?!” A voice behind him calls in surprise, nearly scaring Oikawa out of his skin. He stumbles around the bench in his hurry to turn around. Spotting a familiar form before him he almost wishes he didn’t. He knew his luck was too good to be true. Apparently even thinking about prodigies causes them to appear. Kageyama Tobio is standing in front of him, eyes wide and lips parted. He looks the same as he did in his first year of highschool, save for his hair being ever so slightly longer. Just long enough to curl around his ears and fall just above his eyelashes. Combined with his permanent gloomy expression, he looked like a bewildered baby oxen. This brought Oikawa a nonzero amount of joy. He still wanted nothing to do with the boy. 

“Tobio-chan!” He replies, voice thick with false cheer. He could walk away from Kageyama but there was Takeru to think of. He needed to set a good example. Nothing ventured, nothing gained he supposed,“How pleasant to see you again. Where’s chibi-chan? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one idiot without the other.”

“What are you-what are you doing here Oikawa?” Kageyama counters weakly. He’s stammering. How cute. Not.

“Sightseeing the great treasures of Myagi of course! Could you leave Tobio-chan? You're lowering the property value.” 

“This is a public park!”, Kageyama said indignantly. Look at that, his little kouhai growing a spine.

“Look at little Tobio-chan! I’m so proud, you’re getting smarter everytime I see you,” Oikawa then suddenly sobers, “Now Tobio-chan, why are you here?”

“ I just said it’s a public park.”

“No no Tobio-chan. We all know that. Maybe that praise surrounding your intelligence earlier was unwarranted. Let me say it in a manner even you could understand, why are you talking to me? What does little prodigy Tobio-chan have to gain after all this time?”

Kageyama started squirming slightly, he was clearly uncomfortable, “What’s university volleyball like to play?” He asks finally. Oikawa resists the urge to walk away from the young boy. He silently begs Takeru to come over and beg to return home, but his nephew is as oblivious as always.

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Still two more long years before you get to play on the next stage. Is highschool already too boring for the king?”

“I was just asking!” Oikawa rolls his eyes, checking the time on his watch. Was it late enough that he could use it as an excuse? He’s about to try his look when he remembers the Interhighs must have just ended. Might as well prod Kageyama for information while he’s here. 

“What about you Tobio-chan? Karasuno finally get their wings back?” Kageyama shrugs, looking at the ground. Ah the wonderful prodigy is mortal too. 

“We lost in the final qualifiers. Date Tech.” Oikawa clicks his tongue, faking a pout. 

“That must have been so hard for you Tobio-chan!” Oikawa looks up in pretend thought and taps his chin with a finger. “ I suppose it does make sense-Karasuno’s luck can only get them so far.” He sees something in Kageyama shift, and anger is settling behind his eyes. Good. Get mad. 

“It’s not luck! As long as I’m on the court Karasuno will continue to fly!” 

“Hmmm careful Tobio-chan~” Oikawa smirks. “That sounds like a king talking. Don’t get too high and mighty now, you can’t be a starter forever.” He adds bitterly. He has first hand experience with that. His words shut Kageyama up for a bit. He opens his mouth a few times before setting his face with resolve. 

“I know I am a good player-and I deserve my place as starter. And I’ll deserve it when I get to university too!” Oikawa takes a step back before narrowing his eyes and jabbing a finger at Kageyama. 

“What makes you think you’ll get starter? You’re average Tobio-chan.” It’s not true and Oikawa knows it. He knows Kageyama will almost definitely always make starter on any team he plays on. The luck of a prodigy. It makes Oikawa sick. He’s fought tooth and nail to be where he is right now but because of some stupid DNA Kageyama will always be ahead of him. Kageyama freaking Tobio. It’s not fair! It’s not fair. He turns away from the high schooler, feeling heat press against his eyes. Great, just great. He raises his voice to call for Takeru.

“Takeru! Come on we’re leaving!” He calls in frustration, walking away from a bewildered Kageyama. 

~ ~ ~

Four days later Oikawa’s back on a train back to university. He watches the trees pass in a sort of daze, ignoring Daichi’s attempts for conversation. The moment he steps back onto university property he’s rushing to get to the gym, volleyball in hand. Kageyama was right. Prodigies were gifted their place on the court. He would have to earn his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi was so hyped up and he barely showed up, sorry about that. He'll come back I promise.  
> We appreciate all comments and interactions! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)
> 
> Updates monthly but subject to change! If we get a little more productive updates might come a bit sooner.


	5. Year 1-September

“And then Kuroo totally got icing all over the cat-it was hilarious! Yaku was completely drenched!” Bokuto finishes his story with a dramatic movement of the hands. 

“Poor Yakkun.” Oikawa replies in a noncommittal tone. Yaku glares at him. He’s told Oikawa dozens of times that he doesn’t want to be called Yakkun, which really just inspires Oikawa to use it further. He’s not really paying attention to the conversation at all honestly. The three of them were chosen to lock up the gym, some kind of tradition he assumes. Well okay that’s not entirely true. Only Bokuto and Yaku were chosen to clean up but Oikawa had volunteered in hopes of weaseling the gym key out of the two of them. That way he’d be able to get at least a little bit of extra practice time. But unfortunately this plan involves listening to Bokuto’s endless chattering. Yaku puts the last ball away, and checks his phone before tossing the keys to Bokuto. 

“Okay I’m gonna head out, Washio’s been waiting for like ten minutes. You two can handle nets right?” He asks. Bokuto nods with a passion, clutching the keys like a sacred treasure. Yaku gives Oikawa one last disapproving glare as he heads towards the gym doors. 

“Have fun with Washio~!” Oikawa calls as Yaku opens the doors. In return he gets flipped off by Yaku and a chuckle from Bokuto. Which reminds him, now’s his chance. Bokuto will be way easier to convince than Yaku would ever be. He slinks over to Bokuto and puts on his best sincere look. 

“Oh Bokkun you must be so tired from all that practice you did! Your spikes were so strong!” Bokuto preens under the praise, his face practically glowing. 

“You really think so Oikawa? They felt really good today!” He exclaims. Oikawa nods in earnest. 

“Mhm sooo good. Let me finish cleaning up the gym, you go home and get a good night's rest!” His hand twitches and he resists the urge to snatch the keys from Bokuto’s hand. The boy wilts and Oikawa panics. Did he misread the situation?

“I dunno Oikawa. I wanna spike more! Before I forget how it feels.” Oikawa has to stop himself from bursting with impatience. This was the ace of the team that placed second at nationals. But wait. This could work in Oikawa’s favour. His smile widens, and becomes more genuine. 

“Well why didn’t you say so Bokkun? I’ll set for you!” Like a spring, Bokuto is back to cheerful and excitable. He practically bounces up and down. 

“Really? Thank you thank you!” 

“Of course, anything for a friend. Go grab a ball and we can get started.” As Bokuto rushes away to where Yaku has put away the balls, Oikawa does a few light stretches. He’s already warmed up but you can never be too careful about not getting injured. He pulls up his knee brace and sighs. This will be good practice. As childish as Bokuto is, he’s freaky good at volleyball and Oikawa will definitely have to play with him if he makes starter. Better to start learning his quirks now. 

~ ~ ~

Bokuto, as it turns out, is not an easy person to set to. Okay that’s not quite true. He’s actually frighteningly easy to set to, always chasing the ball with reckless abandon and hitting it strongly. The first time the sound of it alone nearly knocks Oikawa down. He’s used to Iwa-chan’s spikes, even gotten past the initial shock of Ushijima’s power. But he’s never really paid attention to Bokuto’s spikes before now. And wow. It’s not just the power either. It’s Bokuto himself. He lifts Oikawa up, makes him want to set another ball just like that. It reminds him of watching the May practice game but times hundred. The first one he sets up is a basic, normal set to help them find a groove. Bokuto hits it easily and immediately grins brilliantly at Oikawa. 

“That was so good! Like pow! Your sets are almost Akaashi level good!” That does insult Oikawa a little bit. He’s nearly a hundred percent sure he’s better than the former Fukorodani setter when it comes to technical skills. But then he remembers how Iwa-chan was always adamant that Oikawa was the best setter. Even when Oikawa himself could admit he wasn’t. Maybe spikers were just weird like that. 

So no, the issue wasn’t Bokuto’s actual spikes. They were perfectly fine, and Bokuto was quick to explain what kind of sets he liked to hit. Oikawa’s natural talent to read his spikers helps too. The issue was almost everything else about Bokuto. He was constantly changing, and his reaction to everything was just so...extreme. One moment he was cheering with excitement, the next he was growling in frustration. Did Fukorodani have to deal with this 24/7? Oikawa almost couldn’t imagine what it would be like in a real game. Every little thing had the potential to affect Bokuto. Oikawa had expected the spiker to be rambunctious, he’d met him after all, but also easy to please. And in a sense Oikawa had been right. On a surface level Bokuto was impossible to let down. But deep down, on a level Bokuto might not even know about, the spiker was extremely delicate. A bond deep enough to understand the inner workings of Bokuto would take time. And Oikawa didn’t have time. Intercollegiates were starting in two months and he wanted to play for at least some of the matches. Maybe even most of them, though the days to make that happen were slipping away quicker than he imagined. 

“Another!” Bokuto calls in excitement, rushing back over to Oikawa. Oikawa blinks. How long have they been going? He glances at the clock on the wall. They’ve been at the gym for nearly an extra hour. Oikawa wants to stay for longer, if he could he would stay until morning, but he has a test tomorrow and he didn’t particularly want to pass out in the middle of taking it. He needs to be a model student. He sighs and rolls back his shoulders, turning to Bokuto. This was going to be like telling a five-year it’s time for bed he can already tell. 

“Bokkun we should pack up for the night. We still have classes tomorrow” it’s like Bokuto completely deflates. 

“What? One more-come on Oikawa, one more!” Oikawa nearly gives in. It’s a tactic he uses a lot, claiming he’d only practice for five more minutes. But then five becomes ten, and then twenty, and then an hour and Iwa-chan is getting ready to drag him home by the collar. Does he have to be the Iwa-chan in this situation? How tedious. 

“Sorry Bokkun but I can’t. Maybe tomorrow?” Oikawa expects more resistance but instead Bokuto perks up and smiles. 

“Really? That would be great Oikawa!” Bokuto cheers. Oikawa smiles at him. The spiker’s a handful, sure, but he’s got spirit and Oikawa is already adapting to his impulsive style of playing. 

“Let’s put away the nets. Bet you can’t put away more than me.”

“You’re on! I’ll put them all away!”

“Oh nooo please don’t! Then I won’t be able to put any away!”

“Aha I win Oikawa!”

~ ~ ~

On the list of things Oikawa doesn’t want to see at his door at twelve am, a smirking Kuroo ranks pretty high. He yawns, staring at the middle blocker who’s looking back at Oikawa expectantly. Then he pushes up his glasses with the knuckle of his hand. 

“What?” He finally asks, blinking away sleep. His hair’s a mess and if he cared about Kuroo’s opinion at all he would be freaking out right now. “It’s a little late for a play date, Kuro-chan. People might assume.”

“Hah you wish you could have this.” Kuroo counters, winking at him. Oikawa rolls his eyes. As if his standards could ever fall so low as to think a boy whose hair looks like a rats nest is attractive. Kuroo’s not even shirtless, instead sporting an oversized shirt with a cat on it and a pair of baggy pants. So there goes all possible hot points.

“Somehow I think I’ll manage without.” He yawns again. Which reminds him. “Now Rooster-chan, do you have a reason for being here at such a scandalous hour?”

“Awh, does princess Oikawa need his beauty sleep?” Kuroo taunts. Oikawa’s about to reply with a devastating remark when Kuroo waves his hand impatiently. “Doesn’t matter. I need a favour. And you owe me.”

“I don’t remember owing you anything.” Oikawa replies. He wants to go back to bed. Oikawa already doesn’t sleep all that much and he has to get up extra early the next day to finish his project for class. He’s trying to be responsible goddamnit! Kuroo’s smirk turns evil. 

“Oh but you do Princess-chan. You remember your phone call during summer break? You owe me for that.” Oikawa groaned. He couldn’t really disagree with that. Even if that phone call wasn’t helpful in the slightest, it was still a favour.

“I suppose that counts. What’s the favour? Need help wooing a girl?” Kuroo glares at him and shakes his head. 

“No-I wouldn’t need your help with that! It’s Bokuto’s birthday tomorrow.” Oikawa freezes at that. He didn’t expect that to be honest. His own birthday had been passed on a train, quietly admiring the passing views and a sleeping Daichi. His family has handed him a small smattering of gifts and he’d received Iwa-chan’s gift two days before his arrival in Miyagi. It has been a simple alien inspired pillow that made Oikawa smile. And before that, Iwa-chan’s birthday had been simply celebrated with a phone call and Oikawa sending over a Godzilla plush he’d seen in a window display one day on the way to class. That phone call had been the last normal interaction they’d had in a while. Or interaction full stop. Oikawa shakes his head to clear his thoughts. No time to get into all of that with Kuroo waiting in front of him. He processes Kuroo’s words and bursts out laughing. 

“And you waited till now? My sweet Rooster-chan it seems you’re in a bit of a pickle!” He smirks, cocking his hip. Kuroo rolls his eyes. 

“I didn’t wait till now -and I didn’t forget if that’s what you’re about to say!” Oikawa closes his mouth cheekily. Kuroo runs a hand through his hair, messing it up further. He could really benefit from a comb, Oikawa thinks. “I didn’t forget. In fact it’s like basically all done. I just need to grab one thing, and it's super important!” 

“And you need my help because…?” Oikawa trails off waiting for Kuroo to finish the sentence. Oikawa doesn’t have a car, much less the ability to navigate a foreign city at night, there’s no way Kuroo could be asking him for help in that way. 

“Because baggage can be heavy and I have a feeling Daichi would murder me if I woke him up right now.”  _ Baggage?  _ You know what, Oikawa doesn’t want to know. He’s learned not to question Bokuto and Kuroo’s hijinks and to let them run themselves out instead. This however was disruptive to his sleep. Didn’t Kuroo realize how insensitive he was being to Oikawa? He probably did and didn’t care. Oikawa’s shoulders drop. 

“Alright.” Kuroo does a double take like he didn’t quite believe Oikawa would agree. Oikawa really wants to shut his door, but Kuroo has planted curiosity inside of him and he won’t be able to sleep without knowing about this mystery gift to Bokuto. Damn that stupid bed head and his manipulation tactics. “How long will this take?”

“Um-“ Kuroo’s gaze turns cheeky. Oikawa raises a single eyebrow. This asshole. Kuroo raises his hands in defence. “No more than two hours I swear! It isn’t too far.” Oikawa contemplates this. Ah, why not, not like he has anything better to do. Besides sleeping. In a nice warm bed. With-no okay he already agreed and unlike Kuroo, Oikawa is a perfectly reasonable, generous person. 

“Fine but you owe me a week’s worth of ramen. At the least.”

~ ~ ~

It is in fact, very far. A half an hour drive in Kuroo’s beat up car to be exact. Oikawa would be passing out in his seat right now if there wasn’t a pothole every sixty seconds. At this point he thinks Kuroo is doing it on purpose. 

~ ~ ~

When the pale lighting of an old fluorescent sign came into view, Oikawa just about weeps in joy. His journey was over. There was still the ride home but he chose not to think of that. Little victories and all that. He looks around, trying to decipher where they are. He catches a glimpse of the sign as they pass it, seeing the word ‘airport’ in bright bold letters. Hold on, what? He swivels his head around to make sure he read the sign right. 

“ Kuroo,” Oikawa growls, “Is there something you’d like to tell me.”

“Nope,” Kuroo smiled and hopped out of the car. He is acting borderline giddy, who the hell are they picking up? The other option is Kuroo is finally getting rid of him. “Get ready to no longer be the hot friend.”   
“Impossible-who could be hotter than me? Did you seriously drive me to the airport at midnight to insult me?” Kuroo shrugs, deciding to start towards the building instead of responding to Oikawa. Oikawa scrambles to follow him, still extremely confused. What did this have to do with Bokuto’s birthday? They end up beside baggage claim, and Kuroo flops down onto a seat checking his phone. He curses.

“Damn the flight’s delayed. We’ll have to wait for a bit.” If looks could kill, Kuroo would be dead about a hundred times over by now. Oikawa drops down in the seat next to Kuroo and sighs dramatically. 

“Well what do we do now?” He whines, kicking his feet out.

“We wait. Shouldn’t be too long now.” 

“Could you at least tell me who we’re picking up?” He asks eventually. He’s still fighting back yawns and scans the immediate area for a coffee shop. Obviously Kuroo’s idea of ‘a bit’ could mean anything from five minutes to three hours. Oikawa needed to be prepared. 

“Ah why not. You know Akaashi Keiji?” Oikawa raises an eyebrow. 

“The one who Bokuto’s always texting? Fukorodani’s former setter?” Kuroo nods, eyes trained on the flight board in front of them. 

“Yeah that’s the one. Me and him made plans to surprise Bokuto for his birthday. Unfortunately the cheapest flight was super late at night so here we are.” Oikawa scoffs but he understands the sentiment. He would have done the same thing for Iwa-chan if he wasn’t so uncertain of their relationship lately. And if they weren’t going to be in the same place during his birthday anyway. It’s the thought that counts. Oikawa shrugs. More importantly, it seems Kuroo does actually have a soft spot for Bokuto after all. Oikawa couldn’t wait to tease him about this particular revelation. However he saves that information for later. 

“Hmm.” Oikawa hums, noncommittal. “Why am I not surprised that you’re a cheapskate?” 

“I am not!” Kuroo replies quickly. Then he stops and shrugs and runs a hand through his hair. It sticks up further. “Okay maybe I am. Oh well, a flight is still a flight.” 

“How unchivalrous of you Rooster-chan! Would you fly your girlfriend out on some cheap flight? No wonder you’re single.” Oikawa teases. Kuroo’s hand clenches his armrest.  _ Oops forgot about that.  _ Oikawa thinks, hurrying to try and find a way to fix the damage. Kuroo is his ride and he really doesn’t want to be stranded at some random airport. Luckily Kuroo catches sight of something or someone across from them and bounces out of his chair in excitement. 

“There he is! Hold on I’ll grab him!” Kuroo says as he rises out of his chair and calls out across the airport. Oikawa turns his head to look for any familiar faces in the groups of people walking out of the gate. He doesn’t remember much about the appearance of Bokuto’s old friend and has only heard glamorized details from Bokuto. He’s not sure what he’s expecting. Someone perhaps like Washio, stoic and bland who’s features have been long warped through the lens of heroic worship Bokuto views them through. Someone forgettable in all but skill. That was very much not the case. 

Kuroo walks up to a dark haired man and exchanges a few words and a short hug with him before they walk back to Oikawa. As they approach Oikawa has to remind himself how to breathe. Akaashi Keiji is absolutely gorgeous in every sense of the word. At first glance all Oikawa gets is an average looking man, who’s height, if Oikawa had to guess, is approaching six foot. He’s built like a setter, lithe and strong but for once his physical stats aren’t what grab Oikawa’s attention. As he comes clearer in Oikawa’s view Oikawa is treated to true beauty. Akaashi is all sharp lines and graceful movement and Oikawa can’t help but appreciate the view. His eyes are green and vibrant, and they shine one under the bright airport lights. Suffice to say he was hot. Jesus you could cut glass on that jawline. Oikawa made a note to ask for his skincare routine.

“You really weren’t lying Kuro-chan,” Oikawa whistles. Akaashi’s attention turns away from Kuroo to Oikawa, his brow furrowing in slight confusion. An expression that had no right to be that attractive. This guy is clearly tired and confused yet all he can manage is beautiful? Not even a little ugly? Oikawa, as self-assured in his looks as he is, is still aware that he doesn’t always look his best. But this guy, Oikawa can’t imagine him looking anything less than perfect.

“I told you!” Kuroo gloats, laughing. Akaashi blinks again. “Oh right, Uh, Akaashi, Oikawa Tooru, Oikawa, Akaashi Keiji.” Kuroo supplies quickly, stepping somewhat in between them. He grins cheekily at Oikawa and adds. “Akaashi is a setter.”

“I know that!” Oikawa snaps, flushing. “Do you have to keep bringing it up? I wanted to know because we were going to be on the same team! It’s a natural first question, let it go.” 

“Hmmm I don't know if I will let it go. I think a ‘it's nice to meet you, Kuroo! I’m so excited to be on your team!’ would have been more appropriate.” From beside Kuroo, Akaashi, who still hasn’t said a word to Oikawa yet, rolls his eyes. Even his acts of annoyance are beautiful Oikawa remarks with a touch of panic. He’s suddenly aware his hair’s a mess and he’s still basically in pyjamas. 

“Well it wasn’t nice to meet you!” Oikawa hisses as he hurriedly tries to flatten and style his hair. “You are a terrible friend.” 

“Oho ho bold words! I have been nothing but an angel to you Oikawa and this is how you repay me?” Akaashi scoffs, pulling out his phone. 

“I think it’s impossible for you to be an angel Kuroo.” He says easily. Kuroo yelps in indignation and Oikawa smothers a laugh. Akaashi appraises him, his impassive look never leaving his face. Then he turns to the baggage claim. “My flight’s bags are coming up soon.” Kuroo sobers. 

“Here I’ll go look for yours. It’s just the grey suitcase right?” At Akaashi’s nod of confirmation Kuroo bolts off to stand by the conveyor belt. Leaving Oikawa with Akaashi. Oikawa can’t decide if this makes him want to kill or kiss Kuroo. Maybe the more pressing question is if he’s jealous of Akaashi or if he has a big fat crush on the guy. He decides killing Kuroo is just the simplest answer to both questions. It’s also the most appealing. Akaashi types a final few things on his phone before shoving it into his pocket. He blinks at Oikawa again before turning to watch Kuroo excitedly wait for his luggage. 

“So-how did Kuroo rope you into this?” He asks without any distinguished emotion. Even still that voice pulls Oikawa in, like a siren's call. His ears flush red and he shrugs, playing it cool. 

“Guess I’m just a chivalrous guy.” He cranes his neck to look more casual, letting a smirk pull at his lips. If Akaashi notices he doesn’t say anything. Kuroo returns with Akaashi’s suitcase, which looks distinctly small and not at all heavy. Oikawa raises an arched eyebrow as Kuroo stops beside them. 

“Kuro-chan, this doesn’t look very heavy. I’m suddenly starting to feel redundant here.” Akaashi reaches to take his bag but Kuroo holds it away from him, looking sheepish. 

“Alright I lied about the baggage.” He continues quickly before Oikawa can cut in. “But I do need your help! Akaashi needs a place to stay and you live in a single room right?” Kuroo has a small grin forming on his face. Oikawa coaches himself through breathing exercises. He memorized them as a joke to tease Iwa-chan with but they seem to be becoming increasingly useful the more time he spends with Kuroo. 

“And you needed to bring me all the way to the airport to do that? You couldn’t have just shown up at my door after you picked Akaashi up?” Kuroo blinks like the thought didn’t even cross his mind. Sometimes he and Bokuto are far too similar. Oikawa shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s just get back to campus before I pass out in a public airport.” 

~ ~ ~

The ride back is mostly quiet, save for Kuroo detailing out their plan with extreme precision while Akaashi quietly mocks him in simple, sarcastic, sentences. Apparently Oikawa is to play a bigger role than just landlord, another tidbit Kuroo conveniently forgot to mention right away. It’s a simple enough task though. He just needs to show up at their first year only practice with Akaashi in tow. 

They arrive at the dorm rooms and Oikawa is about ready to collapse. However there’s the problem of Akaashi to consider before that. Oikawa’s room is small and there’s only one very tiny twin bed. No way for two volleyball boys to fit. Perhaps he should offer it to Akaashi. He’s been on a plane all night, it would be fair. However, on the other hand, it’s Oikawa’s room. Akaashi must see the dilemma because he sets down his suitcase and turns to Oikawa. 

“I can take the floor. I didn’t mean to be an inconvenience.” Oikawa adamantly shakes his head, taking a second to regain his voice. Everytime Akaashi speaks it’s like angels singing from above. 

“You’re no inconvenience at all! Here let me just find my extra pillows-” He manages to find two pillows plus a few blankets. It’s not great but it’s the best he can muster up without any notice. Akaashi to his benefit doesn’t complain at all. He takes the items graciously and starts to arrange them as Oikawa climbs back into his warm, comforting bed. After a while Akaashi stops rustling and the room devolves into silence. 

~ ~ ~

Oikawa does not like being left alone with his thoughts. It happens quite a lot but that doesn’t make it any easier. He stares up at his darkened ceiling, listening to Akaashi’s soft breathing on the ground below him.  _ Akaashi’s very pretty _ , his mind wonders. And polite too from what Oikawa’s seen. Oikawa could see him being a nice coffee date. Maybe even something more, something stable. He reminds Oikawa of Iwa-chan in a lot of ways, sharp-witted and blunt, but lacks the roughness that makes Iwa-chan, well, Iwa-chan. He’s still drop dead gorgeous though, even by Oikawa’s high standards. Maybe he should ask Akaashi out. It’s a random thought, completely unprompted by anything. Oikawa shifts onto his side, hand slipping under his cheek. He doesn’t even know if Akaashi swings that way. Or if he’s dating anyone at present. Still, it couldn’t hurt to ask right? Better to put himself out there, though he doubts he and Akaashi could ever become more than a fond memory. 

~~~

The walk to the gym is mostly silent but Oikawa finds he doesn’t mind. Whenever Akaashi does open his mouth he manages to say something bitingly funny. Pretty and funny, could Oikawa’s heart catch a break please? Overall the atmosphere was surprisingly comfortable and he thinks that it might be worth keeping in contact with Akaashi after all is said and done, even if he gets completely rejected. He still hasn’t gotten that skincare routine after all.

They reach the gym doors and Oikawa turns to Akaashi looking for any trace of awe or excitement that he himself felt when he first came here. Naturally all of that is absent from the other’s face. But if Oikawa squints and really focuses, he swears he can see a small smile adorning Akaashi’s face. Cute. Oikawa grins. Knowing Bokuto this’ll be fun. He takes a step forward and positively slams the doors open.

“Do not fear, the real talent has arrived!” He announces as he and Akaashi step into the gym. The others' heads swivel towards them with varying degrees of exasperation. Akaashi’s eyes immediately find Bokuto who is on the sidelines with Washio. 

It’s like the universe holds its breath. Bokuto moves from grinning at Oikawa to looking behind him and for a moment Oikawa can swear he feels the world stop spinning. There’s a moment right as Bokuto realizes who he’s looking at and his entire demeanour changes. It’s like the world lights him up, and there’s something in his eyes, something deep and affectionate, nearly hidden by giddiness. The same expression can be found on Akaashi’s passive face which has gained the most emotion Oikawa has seen so far.  _ Oh I see.  _ Oikawa thinks, watching these split seconds of time. Better luck next time he supposes. He’s a lot of things, but a homewrecker isn’t one of them. He lets out a soft disappointed sigh. The world starts moving again. 

“AGAASHIIII!!” Bokuto’s cries echo through the entire gym and suddenly he’s running towards Akaashi, who has taken a step forward to meet him. Their hug is straight out of a movie as Bokuto clutches Akaashi like a lost love, spinning him in excited circles. To make it even worse he hears Akaashi mumble ‘happy birthday Bokuto’. Like he was aware how stupidly cliche they were being. The two of them look so perfectly attuned to each other, so aware of the others faults and talents. Bokuto laughs straight into Akaashi neck and ever deadpan Akaashi lets him for five seconds before pushing against Bokuto’s arms to be let down. Oikawa catches Kuroo’s delighted grin and slinks over. 

“Look at that Kuro-chan. Your sentimental little plan worked.” Kuroo looks so happy he barely acknowledges Oikawa’s dig. 

“He deserves it.” He side eyes Oikawa before leaning back on his heels. “Akaashi didn’t spend much of the summer break in Tokyo. His parents had this vacation planned apparently.” Oikawa nods in understanding, keeping his face thoughtful. 

“And saint Kuro-chan just had to help the star crossed loves didn’t he? What a sap!” Kuroo elbows him, letting out a short laugh. 

“Alright maybe I deserve that. I can be a good friend sometimes!” Over by the entrance Bokuto and Akaashi have finished their tearful reunion (Bokuto is actually crying a little!) and have turned to greet everyone else. Washio gives Akaashi a hearty pat on the back and he’s nodding at something Yaku is saying. He’s clearly well liked, in a different way than just regular popularity. Oikawa forces down his feelings of bitter jealousy and tries to just feel happy. 

“Alright!” Daichi says, clapping his hands to gather everyone’s attention. “This is a very exciting surprise, but let’s get to practice!” Yaku and Washio nod and say their final welcomes to Akaashi before spreading out to do their own stretches and warmups. It’s the weekend and there’s technically no practice scheduled, yet Daichi managed to pull some strings and get the first years the gym for “bonding” or whatever he was calling it these days. Unfortunately, this means he also extended the invite to Ushijima who is ignoring most of the fanfare and instead focusing on stretching his arms out. The mere sight of him sours Oikawa’s mood. Way to ruin a good birthday bastard Ushikawa. 

~ ~ ~

After a while of gruelling team drills Daichi finally calls for a break. Oikawa lets out a sigh of relief. Though it damages Oikawa’s own pride as a former captain, Daichi has great leadership skills. He collapses against the wall and drinks heavily from his water bottle. Bokuto rushes over to Akaashi, who has been quietly watching them practice from the sidelines. 

“That was great everyone! Let’s head out!” The chorus of voices erupt as the few other first years start to pack up to leave. Oikawa starts to stand but Kuroo grabs his arm and nods to wear Daichi is setting up a net. 

“Hey a few of us are going to stay to play some 3v3s. Want to join? Daichi got permission.” Oikawa considers for a moment before shrugging. He doesn’t have anywhere to be. He joins the small group he’s grown acquainted with, working a kink in his shoulder as he walks. 

Yaku bids them all farewell, saying he has a meeting with one of his professors. Oikawa’s not surprised at all when Washio heads out with him. Ushijima stays however, much to Oikawa’s chagrin. This leaves them one player short for a 3v3. 

“Akaashi can play!” Bokuto exclaims when Daichi voices the concern, patting Akaashi’s back in anticipation. “And then he can set for me! It’ll be so awesome!”

“You cool with that?” Kuroo questions Akaashi, clearly used to Bokuto’s impulsivity. Akaashi nods. 

“Sure. If you guys are willing to wait for me to warm up.” Oikawa realizes for the first time since getting up that morning that Akaashi is in volleyball apparel. Akaashi clearly knew to prepare for an invitation, even if he didn’t fully expect one. He moves off to the side to do some quick stretches while Kuroo and Daichi discuss how to divide up the teams. 

They eventually decided on Akaashi, Bokuto, and Ushijima vs Kuroo, Daichi and Oikawa. It’s not exactly the greatest match up but it’s the best they’re going to get, especially with Bokuto adamantly demanding to be on Akaashi’s team and Oikawa refusing to be on Ushijima’s. 

It’s an intense game. Bokuto and Akaashi are scarily in sync with each other, and Ushijima’s spikes are as unwavering as ever. On their side however, Oikawa adapts quickly to Daichi and Kuroo’s attack styles and knows exactly how to maximize them. They also have extreme receiving power on their side, even managing to pick up a handful of Ushijima’s spikes. Not that those saves did anything in the end. Oikawa’s team lost with a three point difference. It seems, even in a friendly game he still can’t beat Ushijima. He never stopped trying throughout the game though. He chases the ball out of bounds, clenches his jaw and strives to scrub out any imperfections in his sets. But in the end he can’t do it. Daichi gives him a friendly pat of the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it too much. They are top level spikers after all.” Daichi laughs. “That team has more star power in one spike setup than the rest of this campus combined.” Oikawa tries not to be offended. He really, truly does. Bokuto interrupts their conversation as he hugs Akaashi for what must be the hundredth time. Akaashi for his part, comments sarcastically everytime and yet never fails to return the gesture. 

“AaAaaa AGAASHI THAT WAS SO GOOD!” Bokuto explodes. “Just like highschool! You’re the best setter ever!” 

“Calm down Bokuto.” Akaashi says tiredly, his eyes looking down at the ground. “You’d have done as well with any old setter.”

“But you’re wrong Aka-chan.” Oikawa interjects, the nickname slipping from his mouth without a second thought. The group turns to Oikawa in interest and confusion. He clears his throat. “I mean to say-Bokkun is not the easiest to set to! Obviously it’s super easy for me, but you two have a connection. We can all see it.” Kuroo and Daichi back him up by nodding and even Ushijima looks at him with what Oikawa takes as a face of agreement. Bokuto blinks before breaking into a grin once again. 

“Oikawa is right !! You’re the best Akaashi!!!” Akaashi flushes under the praise and just like that Oikawa saves the day once again. He should start getting paid for this.

~ ~ ~

They clear out of the gym and say their farewell before heading their separate ways. Kuroo and Bokuto invite them all to Bokuto’s birthday party at the nearby restaurant and Oikawa generously accepts. He also coordinates with Akaashi, who is heading out with Bokuto, so that the boy can get into the dorm room. Bokuto seems briefly confused by the fact that Akaashi is rooming with Oikawa before he returns to normal. Or rather Bokuto’s version of normal. He can hardly believe that Bokuto is capable of feeling jealous in anything surrounding Akaashi. Does Bokuto even realise how they look at eachother? Though, to be fair, Oikawa had been fantasizing about asking Akaashi out just the day before. Plus, Oikawa had been crowned “Mr Steal-Your-Girl” by the entire Seijo volleyball team. Anyone would be rightfully worried. They all trickle out until only Oikawa is left standing in front of the gym. 

He takes a breath before starting to head back to his dorm, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see their coach staring at him, expression unreadable.

“Oh!” Oikawa stutters out, heart pounding. What did he want? The coach’s hand drops off Oikawa’s shoulder and he clears his throat. 

“I watched you first years play today.” He raises an eyebrow. “You played well, Oikawa. The best I’ve seen from you.”

“Oh! Thank you coach!” Oikawa flushes under the praise, almost able to forget his tragic loss just minutes earlier. The coach continues,

“As you know, we have a training camp next month before competitions start in November. I’m going to be putting you in for a few games. If you do well you have a shot to be on rotation for intercollegiates.” He must sense Oikawa’s barely contained excitement, because he adds. “This isn’t a guarantee. It could just be a consistent pinch server position. Could be more. We’ll see.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” Oikawa bursts out, unable to contain himself any longer. Finally his hard work is paying off! He grasps the coach’s hand and shakes it rapidly. “I won’t let you down sir!”

“See to it you don’t.” The coach huffs, blunt demeanour back in place. “Now get going. You boys have loitered long enough.” 

Oikawa hurries away before he can find a way to accidentally piss off the coach. Then he heads back to the dorm with a spring in his step. He wanted to share this with someone. Too bad all he’d received from Iwa-chan since the end of August had been complete and utter radio silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We appreciate all comments and interactions! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)
> 
> Updates monthly


	6. Year 1-October

The training camp is a week long and the coach promises Oikawa at least three games. He feels confident. He could prove himself in one. But three is helpful too.

The bus is a little crowded and Oikawa finds himself squished between Daichi and Kuroo in the seats. He spots Bokuto beside Washio and Yaku, and Otaku-chan and Ushijima sit beside each other. It’s almost too perfect, the two losers stuck together. 

Oikawa’s not even sure how this seating arrangement happened. The third and fourth years are crowded closer to the back of the bus like they’re trying to be the cool kids in middle school who think popularity is measured by your distance to the bus driver. Maybe Oikawa’s just annoyed he didn’t get there first. Beside Oikawa, Kuroo stretches backwards and works kinks in his neck.

“I swear these bus rides get me more sore than volleyball.” He whines, wriggling in his chair. On Oikawa’s other side , Daichi lets out a short laugh. 

“I know something else that would make you sore.”, Oikawa mumbles half asleep.

“Yeah well we need to get there somehow. I’d rather not do flying receives whole way there.” Daichi says, voice noticeably louder. Kuroo laughs good naturedly as well, still stretching around in his seat.  _ He really is like a cat,  _ Oikawa thinks. From the front of the bus Bokuto’s excited conversation with Washio can be heard. He is far too loud. Oikawa can even see some of the older team members shift in discomfort, a few even covering their ears or raising the volume of their headphones. Oikawa however, while not used to Bokuto’s screaming, does find it a bit endearing. He tries to tune into the conversation but Bokuto is speaking so animatedly and quickly it’s hard to decipher anything substantial. He does catch the name Akaashi a handful of times however. Which reminds him. 

“Say Kuro-chan, how long have Bokkun and Akaashi been dating?” He asks, eyes roaming across Bokuto’s figure in front of him. It’s hard to tell really, but he does seem to have gained even more energy after Akaashi’s impromptu visit. Suddenly every conversation had become about Akaashi in some capacity. He turns back to the conversation in time to catch Kuroo burst out in laughter that almost brings him to tears. The students in the chairs surrounding them turn around in concern. Oikawa however only raises a single eyebrow. 

“I don’t get what’s so funny.”

“I-No it’s just-“ Kuroo stops talking to take a moment to compass himself. He runs a hand through his messy hair and finally speaks, still fighting back a giddy smile. “Bokuto and Akaashi aren’t dating, Oikawa.”

“Excuse me?” Oikawa erupts, eyes growing wide. This throws him for a loop. Even Daichi looks mildly taken back. 

“Really? I always thought they were just being a little more low key with it.” He says. Kuroo snorts and jerks his thumb to point at Bokuto. 

“Nothing frosted tips over there does is low key. But yeah it's just been them circling around each other for two years straight.” Kuroo rolls his eyes, looking surprisingly fed up. “It’s kind of annoying actually.” 

“You mean I could have asked Aka-chan out on a date?!” Oikawa asks, completely ignoring Kuroo. Immediately Kuroo starts adamantly shaking his head. 

“No way dude. No way. Ever heard of bro code?” Oikawa tilts his head in slight confusion, causing Kuroo to throw his hands in the air in exasperation. “I can’t believe you Oikawa!”

“What did I do Rooster-chan?!”

“Yeah I’m a little confused too.” Daichi interjects, brow furrowed. “If they're not together, Oikawa has every right to at least ask Akaashi out.”

“You guys are not understanding” Kuroo sighs, shifting back in his seat. “Those two have been madly in love for years. You don’t go after your bro’s guy even if he’s too dumb to realize it’s his guy in the first place.” 

“Huh.” Oikawa examines Bokuto closer. He knew the spiker was loud and obnoxious but anyone with half a brain cell would be able to tell those two were basically almost dating already. He’d only seen them together for a short period over the weekend but they had had this undeniable chemistry that, frankly, made Oikawa a little jealous. He turns to Daichi. “A little like how you and Suga used to be!” He says warmly, a cheery smile spreading across his face.”

“What do you mean?” Daichi asks, clearing his throat in embarrassment. Oikawa chuckles gleefully. 

“You were so obvious! Honestly I thought you two were like childhood sweethearts or something!” He admits, still laughing to himself. Daichi is turning a handsome shade of red and Kuroo is dying beside him. Oikawa lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. As he continues to tease Daichi he nearly forgets to be nervous for the practice games. Nearly. 

~ ~ ~

Oikawa doesn’t play at all the first day. It shouldn’t worry him, they have a whole week after all, but still, it’s weighing him down. Maybe the coach had been bluffing after all, and he wasn’t really going to put Oikawa in for a game. 

Luckily he didn’t need to worry as, during the third match of the second day, the coach puts Oikawa in as the official server. They were up against a pretty average school, with no outstanding skills from what Oikawa had been able to find during his research. It was a little insulting that his coach seemed to believe Oikawa couldn’t handle more. But it didn't matter. This just meant he could really shine. A star’s best backdrop is a plain canvas.

Whistle blows and Oikawa takes a deep breath. He’s ready, everything is as it’s meant to be. Well almost everything, Ushijima is still on his left. That’s not his place, that over cocky bastard. It will never be.

It’s the other team what’s-their-name’s serve first but that's far from discouraging. As impressive as Oikawa’s serves are, he is a setter first and foremost. The serve is overwhelmingly safe and boring, just like the players behind the ball. Ball flying leisurely over the net, Yaku easily picks it up. The team they’re facing is the textbook example of mediocrity, perfectly average in every way. Both the players and coaches were too afraid of what was needed to become great. Oikawa would call it pathetic if teams like them weren’t useful as stepping stones. It will be all too easy to crush every ounce of spirit they have. The ball falls into Oikawa’s waiting hands

“Bokkun!”Oikawa calls. Faster than you could blink, Bokuto is on the other side of the court, steadily rising in the air. In a manner that’s by now familiar, rehearsed, the ball soars through the air. Only reaching Bokuto once he’s at the peak of his jump. Just how he likes it. The other team’s blockers jums far too late and the volleyball hits the ground with a satisfying thump. Oikawa takes a moment to savour the delicious look of despair on the player’s faces. 

“OiKAWA! That was great!!,” Bokuto cheered, “ Let’s do it again!” 

Oikawa grunted in affirmation, smile never leaving his face. The game continued on with no unexpected plays or moves from the other team. It was refreshing. And so what if most of the balls Oikawa didn’t pick up were on his left, that’s merely happenstance, and who cares if Ushijima has the least amount of spikes out of everyone? It’s not like any one's counting. Even if someone did count, it's clearly not affecting overall performance. They’re very far from losing the match.

The game is over quickly, as Oikawa predicted. Amazing how much of a game is psychological when you think about it, and no matter the skill of the team, if you demoralize them at every turn they will always lose. Only mistake is that they didn’t win in straight sets. They should have won in two straight sets, Oikawa clenched his fist. He should have-

“Oikawa, good game,” coach states,” You made mistakes near the end, however. Amature mistakes too.” Oikawa’s stomach sinks. “However it was still a good performance. We’ll talk about it later but for now, if you keep this up you’ll be able to make the secondary setter easy.”

“Thank you sir,” Oikawa says with a forced smile. He doesn’t want to be a secondary setter. “I’ll keep working hard and improve even more”

“That’s what I like to hear. Now go cool down with the others.” 

~ ~ ~

Oikawa lays on his cot, staring up at the popcorn ceiling above him. Normally Iwa-chan would be on his left, just a head turn away. He was always there to deal with Oikawa’s fidgeting and the stupid late night conversations. And now he wasn’t. Oikawa sighs and rolls over, checking the time on his phone. The Iwa-chan he knew would probably be just about to head to bed at a time like this, but he didn’t know Iwa-chan anymore. They hadn’t interacted at all in over a month, and not for any lack of trying on Oikawa’s part. His messages are filled with unopened text messages and unanswered phone calls. He wouldn’t be surprised if Iwa had him blocked by now. It was a sour thought that made Oikawa sit up quickly. That couldn’t be possible. He looked around the dark room, spotting the sleeping forms of his teammates. He grabbed his glasses and shoved them onto his face. He didn’t usually bring them to matches but he was missing a week of school for this training camp and exams weren’t going to study for themselves. He straightened his back, yawning. He didn’t want to wake any of the others but he needed to do  _ something.  _ Everything about him was itching in anticipation. He needed an outlet. As quietly as he can he removes himself from his blanket and heads out of the room. He nearly trips on Bokuto’s leg on the way out the door but manages to catch himself. 

Stepping out into the open air is immediately calming. There’s a slight breeze that rustles leaves and cools the area nicely. Oikawa’s body goes lax, losing tension he didn’t know he was carrying. The night air is calming and it felt so good just to be able to breathe in that moment. However, the relaxing moment doesn’t last long as he’s suddenly aware of a voice drifting through the night. He immediately stiffens, not recognizing the tone as one of his teammates' voices. Peeking around the corner of the building he sees the owner of the voice. He nearly chokes on air upon spotting Kuroo’s hunched over, speaking quietly into his phone. The anxious note in his voice making the words sound foreign to Oikawa’s ears. Oikawa’s about to go up to him, the opportunity to make fun of how he lost his unbothered persona too good to pass up, when he is finally able to make out the words Kuroo is saying. He leans closer, trying to catch as much of the conversation as possible. If Kuroo’s going to have a conversation in public he shouldn’t be surprised if someone just happens to overhear.

“C’mon Kenma- pick up pick up” Kuroo’s voice whispers. This confuses Oikawa. He doesn’t remember exactly but he’s pretty sure that’s Kuroo’s little friend from Nekoma, with the hair like a pudding cup. Why is Kuroo calling him now? At this time? 

“The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable-please leave a message after the tone.” A robotic voice from Kuroo’s phone responds. The middle blocker huffs in frustration and defeat before holding the phone a little closer to his mouth. 

“Hey Kenma” Kuroo starts, his voice surprisingly casual for the way he’s been acting. By the end of his message however it’s riddled with insecurity. “It’s Kuroo again. Just let me know how it’s going okay? I uh won’t bother you anymore but just let me know if you even get this. Uh yeah. Just wanted to say hey. Um. Bye. Call me back. Yeah. Bye. ” 

Kuroo pulls the phone away from his ear and hits the end button, a sigh shaking his entire body. Whatever was holding him together seems to have broken as he suddenly deflated like a week old balloon. Oikawa can see his eyes closing and he practically falls against the wall of the building. Oikawa feels like he’s witnessing something extremely personal. He tries to back away quietly, no longer interested in annoying Kuroo. Unfortunately it seems Oikawa has the balance of a shojo anime protagonist tonight and he trips on the uneven sidewalk, sending him crashing into a nearby bush. He groans in pain before slapping a hand over his mouth. Maybe Kuroo didn’t hear the loud flailing or the bush becoming crushed or his expressions of agony. Totally possible he missed all of that.

“Who’s there?” Kuroo’s voice rings strong again, the sound of him pushing off the wall sending panic down Oikawa’s spine. It’s far too late to hide so Oikawa is simply left to struggle in the branches of the bush while Kuroo rounds the corner. They stare at each other for a second. Kuroo seems legitimately speechless for a moment. 

“Oikawa?” He finally says. “What are you doing in a bush?”

“Kuro-chan!” Oikawa exclaims brightly, still struggling and being prodded by rather sharp branches. “Lovely night isn’t it? Give me a hand would you?” 

“How long have you been here?” Kuroo asks. He does offer Oikawa a hand though and pulls him from his leafy prison. And Oikawa’s glasses aren’t even scuffed! He dusts off his pyjama bottoms, trying to stall an answer. It takes him about twenty seconds to answer Kuroo’s question, which is apparently twenty seconds too long. Kuroo stiffens and pulls away from Oikawa. “Did you hear all of that?”

“Hear is such a...strong word Kuro-chan! I prefer, accidentally stumble across a trickle of information in a way no one could have stopped.” Kuroo stares at him dumbfounded before groaning and running an agitated hand through his hair. Oikawa quickly tries to salvage the conversation. “But! Besides that, it is a lovely night for a late night chat with the boyfriend. Shame he didn’t pick up.”

“Like Iwaizumi never picks up when you call?” Kuroo counters, voice filled with venom. Oikawa freezes. That was uncalled for and he tells Kuroo as much. Iwa-chan and him aren’t even dating! This causes Kuroo to let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah well neither are me and Kenma.”

“Do you want to be?” Oikawa asks, really mostly joking. But Kuroo turns a red brighter than the Nekoma jersey. It seems Oikawa accidentally hit the nail straight on the head. The two of them just stand there in the dark, facing each other for a few seconds. Kuroo doesn’t respond to Oikawa’s question and he doesn’t need to. His silence speaks volumes. Oikawa nods. “Ah I see-well Kuro-chan never fear I am a romance connoisseur-we can set up flowers and lights and-“

“No!” Kuroo sounds so forceful it shakes Oikawa. He’s never seen Kuroo this agitated. Usually everything is a joke with this guy. But Kuroo looks intimidating like this, all serious and half shrouded by shadows. Oikawa shivers when Kuroo finally continues. “I don’t do big romantic gestures. They’re no good anyway. Won’t make a difference.”

“I’m a little lost.” Oikawa admits slowly, blinking a few times. Kuroo heaves a large sigh, turning his back on Oikawa. Silence grows between them again. Finally after an eternity Kuroo turns back to Oikawa. His eyes are a little red but Oikawa graciously ignores that. There’s a few more moments where Kuroo doesn’t say anything and simply rocks back and forth on his heels. It looks like he’s mentally preparing for a long rant. And for once, Oikawa can’t find it in him to make a joke to ease the silence. He simply waits for Kuroo to start speaking.

It’s a simple story, and an extremely short one. Leave it to Kuroo to over dramatize everything, as always. He tells the story of two boys, childhood friends bound by a close living arrangement. Kuroo explains, albeit very wearily, that along the way to where they are now something changed for him. His feelings changed, or more specifically, expanded. But it was one sided. Kenma had not experienced this change and Kuroo was left to flounder with his new feelings, with the added bonus of a new distance forcing the two apart. 

Oikawa digests all of this. At some point during Kuroo’s rant the two of them had sat down against the wall of the building. Oikawa can see the stars, even name a few of them off the top of his head. Looking back at Kuroo he spots a glossy texture spreading over his eyes and the way his jaw sets, desperately trying to hold back tears. For maybe the first time in the short time he’s known Kuroo, Oikawa has absolutely no desire to tease him. The scene before him is just so pitiful, and not even in a fun way. It’s hard to know what to say though. Kuroo is in an impossible situation really, there’s no way he won’t be hurt. Oikawa turns back to the stars, hoping they hold some sort of answer. 

“You know-” he starts, not even sure where his sentence is going to go. He thinks briefly of this horrible situation with Iwa-chan. His hair brushes his knees as he drops his head. “Iwa-chan doesn’t talk to me anymore. Since August. And it sucks. I mean it really sucks. He’s my best friend.” The shift is immediate. Kuroo stares at him, probably waiting for Oikawa to dive into his own problems and completely forgets Kuroo’s. And he could. But there’s a pinch in his chest and his skin crawls with the idea of letting anymore vulnerability through, even though he knows Kuroo would never use it against him. So he carries on in a different direction. 

“Obviously it’s not the same. You and Pudding-kun, I mean the issues are deeper than just a few missed texts. There’s your crush to think about. But it’s also not all that different.” He settles himself with a breath, trying to figure out how to word himself. “What I’m trying to say is, being ignored is horrible, unrequited love or not. You’re not alone Kuro-chan.”

It’s not poetry. It’s not even all that comforting. Oikawa can hear himself, he knows how pitying and shallow he probably sounds. He’s completely ready for a smack or a well deserved sarcastic comment, but instead Kuroo turns his body and wraps his arms Oikawa. It’s firm and strong despite all of Kuroo’s shaking. Oikawa closes his eyes after a moment, wrapping his arms around Kuroo’s back for a split second before they both pull away. Kuroo stares at him.

“We never speak of this.” It startles Oikawa, the bluntness of this statement. In fact it startles him so much he bursts out laughing. Immediately he slaps a hand over his mouth and ducks his head. However apparently he didn’t completely screw everything up because after a few tense seconds Kuroo lets out a small, watery chuckle. Then he stands up and offers a hand. Oikawa accepts it gratefully. 

The walk back to their cots is mostly silent. Neither speaks about what happened, but Oikawa knows it hasn’t been forgotten. This has been a stepping stone in his and Kuroo’s relationship. Right before they re-enter the room Kuroo touches his shoulder. By now there’s barely any trace of tears on the other boy’s face and almost all the redness is gone from his cheeks. His eyes are still puffy though. He looks like a young kid.Oikawa feels a pit of endearment start to grow in his stomach, much to his own dismay. Why did this stupid bedheaded feline have to go and pour his heart out to Oikawa? Kuroo’s fingers flutter over the cotton of Oikawa’s shirt before dropping again. 

“Thank you” he murmurs, barely above a whisper. Then he darts silently back into the room and leaves Oikawa in the doorway. What a peculiar rooster man. 

~ ~ ~

The rest of the training camp goes well. Oikawa plays in his two other games, plus an extra where he got to try out as a pinch server. Kuroo and Daichi even get swapped in for some rotations and Oikawa watches at the melt seamlessly with the rest of the players. They really do have a making of a strong team, the new first years. 

Some things don’t go perfectly of course. The coach says he’ll reveal his decision to Oikawa at the same time as everyone else, when he posts the starting lineup. He also offers a few pointers, all things Oikawa is already aware of. His left and Ushijima. Does this man ever talk about anything else? He knows he has these issues. He just doesn’t know how to solve them. Part of him will always be expecting that it’s Iwa-chan on his left and as long as that’s the case he doesn’t know what to do. As for Ushijima, Oikawa doesn’t see his stance budging. It’s not like he never sets to Ushijima, and the aversion is mostly subconscious. Besides, they can win without Ushijima as long as they have him. 

He and Kuroo never speak about that night in the dark, even when the camp is over. It’s an unspoken agreement and Oikawa’s not going to be the one to break it. He can’t betray Kuroo’s privacy like that. Not when what he shared hit so close to home. 

Before Oikawa knows it, it’s November and Intercollegiates are only three weeks away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! It's been a while and I am so sorry. Personal stuff and lack of motivation really got in the way of writing and posting this fic. I am still not completely ready to devote as much time as would be necessary to keep up the schedule we set in place. However this does not mean the fic is discontinued. We still want to finish writing this story and it is far from over. The only thing changing is uploads will be must more sporadic. I will try to keep them as consistent and quick as possible but I cannot promise anything. Thank you to everyone who decides to stick with me through this.
> 
> We appreciate all comments and interactions! I mean this seriously, the comments on the previous posts in this fic really helped push us to get this update out. So thank you! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day!  
> :)


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